Given this scenario, some commanders have resorted to strategies such as turning off transponders to avoid being identified as targets.
Electronic jamming signals in the Persian Gulf are distorting the location data of several ships, at a time when tensions in the region have risen due to recent attacks by Iran against neighboring countries, . The situation has raised doubts about the reliability of maritime geolocation transmissions in the region.
Tracking data shows around 120 vessels clustered in an area on land, about an hour’s drive from Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, with indications of speeds close to 92 kilometers, despite there being no real changes in position. Another group, close to the land border between Oman and the Emirates, appears to have speeds exceeding 185 kilometers, which does not correspond to operational reality.
These anomalous patterns are attributed to interference in geolocation signals, known as “signal jamming”, possibly intensified after the activation of air defense systems by the United Arab Emirates last week, following missile and drone attacks launched by Tehran, the first incident of its kind in the country in almost a month.
According to analyst Mark Douglas, from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, cited by Bloomberg, it is likely that the Gulf countries have activated electronic warfare systems after these recent attacks, with the consequence of significantly affecting data from the AIS (Automatic Identification System), used to transmit the location of ships in real time.
Although interference does not reach levels as high as at the beginning of the conflict, there is now a new increase in these phenomena, after a period of less activity. This situation makes it difficult to analyze maritime traffic in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a critical area for energy transport.
Faced with this scenario, some commanders have resorted to strategies such as turning off transponders to avoid being identified as targets. On Sunday, a cargo vessel was attacked in the region. In the Strait of Hormuz, traffic remained practically at a standstill this Monday, with only two registered passages, including an oil tanker loaded with Iraqi crude that indicates Vietnam as its destination.
