Overview
- Maritime-intelligence data show the disruption has intensified, with Windward counting more than 1,650 vessels experiencing significant GPS/AIS interference on March 7 and Kpler estimating about 1,000 ships affected across the Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
- AIS feeds tied to compromised GPS are broadcasting false positions that depict tankers circling over land or crossing airports, creating chaotic electronic charts that make many captains reluctant to transit the narrow waterway.
- The interference has spilled into daily life in the UAE, where residents report phones placing them at sea or in distant cities and delivery routes taking far longer as navigation apps freeze or reroute.
- Experts say the activity is likely an electronic-warfare tactic linked to Iran to defeat incoming drones and missiles, though officials have not issued formal attribution.
- Legacy, single‑frequency receivers on many ships remain vulnerable, while mitigations such as multi‑constellation or anti‑spoofing hardware, INS, ground‑based aids, and novel “signals of opportunity” are being used unevenly due to cost, retrofit speed, and insurance constraints.