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Unusual ship formations raise alarms in key waterway
Maritime analysts have detected hundreds of commercial vessels displaying false GPS coordinates in the Strait of Hormuz, forming unnatural circular clusters that pose collision risks. The interference, described as "next-level" by experts, has raised concerns about navigation safety in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Electronic warfare spreads beyond battlefields
GPS jamming, an invisible but potent form of electronic warfare, has increasingly disrupted civilian infrastructure. Recent incidents include interference with aircraft in Europe, including a plane carrying the European Commission president, and daily disruptions in Ukraine. The latest episode in the Middle East extends these tactics to maritime traffic.
Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward, called the current situation unprecedented. "We can't overestimate the huge danger this poses to maritime navigation and safety," she said. The National Hydrographic Office of Pakistan has also issued warnings about interference affecting regional shipping.
Risks of collisions and environmental disasters
Ships rely on Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) to avoid collisions, particularly in congested areas like the Strait of Hormuz. A 300-meter-long oil tanker requires significant time and distance to alter course or stop. When GPS signals are jammed, vessels lose critical awareness of nearby ships, increasing the risk of accidents, especially in low visibility or at night.
Alan Woodward, a researcher at the University of Surrey, emphasized the danger: "The problem isn't you knowing where you're going-it's not knowing where everybody else is going."
Suspected culprits and military responses
While no official confirmation has been provided, military analysts strongly suspect Iran of orchestrating the jamming. Iran has previously threatened to target ships attempting to traverse the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil supplies.
Thomas Withington, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, suggested Iran's jamming tools are likely domestically produced or sourced from Russia or China. He also noted that U.S. forces in the region may be employing jamming systems to protect bases and vessels from drones and GPS-guided weapons.
The U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment on specific capabilities, citing operational security.
Tracking and analyzing the interference
Sean Gorman, co-founder of Zephr.xyz, has studied GPS jamming in conflict zones, including Ukraine. With Iranian airspace closed, Gorman used satellite radar data to detect jamming activity. While the BBC has not independently verified the data, Gorman explained that jamming devices leave traces in radar signals, allowing analysts to pinpoint interference sources.
In 2024, Gorman's team used smartphones attached to drones to map jamming in Ukraine. By recording GPS data, they triangulated the locations of jammers. "I was just amazed at the level of jamming and how powerful it is," he said.
Solutions and future protections
Several technologies aim to mitigate GPS jamming risks. Raytheon UK's Landshield, a compact anti-jam antenna system, uses multiple channels to counteract interference. Alex Rose-Parfitt, the company's engineering director, reported a surge in demand for such products.
Other firms, like Australia-based Advanced Navigation, have developed alternative positioning systems. These rely on gyroscopes, accelerometers, optical imagery, or even star-mapping to determine location when GPS is unreliable. However, Chris Shaw, the company's CEO, acknowledged that these methods are less accurate than GPS.
Ramsey Faragher, director of the Royal Institute for Navigation, warned that the current situation highlights the vulnerability of open GPS signals. He predicted a shift toward more secure alternatives, similar to the evolution of Wi-Fi from open networks to password-protected systems.
"Soon, we will look back on this era where we are using open GNSS signals and think, 'God, we were mad, that was really not a smart move.'"
Ramsey Faragher, Royal Institute for Navigation
Military-grade GPS offers resilience
Military forces use encrypted GPS signals, such as M-Code, which are far more resistant to jamming. However, civilian vessels and infrastructure remain exposed to disruptions, underscoring the urgent need for broader adoption of secure navigation technologies.
