According to The Maritime Executive, shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has returned to near-normal levels following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran. However, intense GPS jamming, affecting approximately 1,600 vessels, continues to disrupt navigation, prompting safety concerns that have led to changes in operations. QatarEnergy has halted nighttime tanker movements, and some ships are delaying transits until daylight. Operators have also begun broadcasting conciliatory AIS messages to avoid being targeted, a tactic seen previously during the Red Sea crisis. They write:
With a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran in effect, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has returned to near-normal levels, including a revival of westbound transits into the Arabian Gulf. But the intense levels of GPS jamming in the region remain an issue, and are hindering navigation.
Last weekend, GPS jamming incidents surged by 60 percent, affecting about 1600 vessels (including small craft), according to consultancy Windward. At peak, nearly one quarter of all vessels in the region experienced GPS disruption at least once in a 24-hour period. […]
“They don’t want to pass during the nighttime because they find it dangerous. So it’s a very fluid situation,” Frangou said. “Safety conditions are something that is at the forefront of our minds. This is why we are constantly monitoring all this.”
Windward has also found that some operators have been using AIS to broadcast conciliatory messaging in hopes of deterring Iranian attack. About 55 vessels used novel messages during the peak period of tensions from June 12-24, the firm told Reuters. Some of the messages are familiar from patterns seen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Houthi shipping crisis, when many masters would type in the destination field on their AIS unit as “China owned” or “Russian crude” and then broadcast this signal to the world. The strategy was intended to make the vessel appear like an unsuitable target.
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