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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Oil tankers near Iran appear to be in rural Russia as signals jammed
By Anna Hirtenstein LONDON (Reuters) -The Front Tyne oil tanker was sailing through the Gulf between Iran and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday when just past 9:40 a.m. shiptracking data appeared to show the massive vessel in Russia, in fields better known for barley and sugar beets. By 4:15 p.m., the ship's erratic signals indicated it was in southern Iran near the town of Bidkhun, before later placing it back and forth across the Gulf. Mass interference since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran has affected nearly 1,000 ships in the Gulf, according to Windward, a shipping analysis firm. A collision involving tankers south of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for the world's oil, occurred on Tuesday with both vessels catching fire. One of them, the Front Eagle, a sister ship of the Front Tyne, and like it, more than three football pitches long, appeared to be onshore in Iran on June 15, data from commodity data platform Kpler showed. "There is usually no jamming in the Strait of Hormuz and now there is a lot,' said Ami Daniel, chief executive of Windward. "The culmination of all that is higher risk. It's a hot area... if you don't geolocate, there's a bigger chance you'll have an accident." Ships are required to indicate their location and are fitted with transmitters similar to GPS called an AIS, or Automatic Identification System, that send regular signals on location, speed and other data. Jamming disrupts these signals. "The problem these days is that most ships use digitised systems, so if your GPS is jammed, then you have no real form of navigating other than by the seat of your pants," said Jim Scorer, secretary general of International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations. If a ship's crew intentionally disrupts its signalling, it is called spoofing, and may indicate illegal conduct, such as an effort to conceal a cargo or destination. If a third party disrupts signals, as is happening in the Gulf, it is referred to as jamming, according to Dimitris Ampatzidis, an analyst at Kpler. The practice has become increasingly common in conflict areas, as some militaries seek to obscure the location of navy vessels or other potential targets. Jamming has been observed in the Black Sea during Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, in the Taiwan Strait and in waters near Syria and Israel, analysts said. Several ships appeared to be on land at Port Sudan last month. "If you don't know where vessels are, you're unable to target them," said Ampatzidis. International Maritime Organization, along with other United Nations agencies, issued a statement in March expressing concern over rising cases of interference in global navigation. The oil tanker Xi Wang Mu, which was placed under U.S. sanctions, appeared to be at a Hindu temple in India earlier this year when it spoofed its location, according to analysis by maritime data platform Lloyd's List Intelligence.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
Oil tankers near Iran appear to be in rural Russia as signals jammed
Oil tankers near Iran appear to be in rural Russia as signals jammed LONDON - The Front Tyne oil tanker was sailing through the Gulf between Iran and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday when just past 9:40 a.m. shiptracking data appeared to show the massive vessel in Russia, in fields better known for barley and sugar beets. By 4:15 p.m., the ship's erratic signals indicated it was in southern Iran near the town of Bidkhun, before later placing it back and forth across the Gulf. Mass interference since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran has affected nearly 1,000 ships in the Gulf, according to Windward, a shipping analysis firm. A collision involving tankers south of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for the world's oil, occurred on Tuesday with both vessels catching fire. One of them, the Front Eagle, a sister ship of the Front Tyne, and like it, more than three football pitches long, appeared to be onshore in Iran on June 15, data from commodity data platform Kpler showed. "There is usually no jamming in the Strait of Hormuz and now there is a lot,' said Ami Daniel, chief executive of Windward. "The culmination of all that is higher risk. It's a hot area... if you don't geolocate, there's a bigger chance you'll have an accident." Ships are required to indicate their location and are fitted with transmitters similar to GPS called an AIS, or Automatic Identification System, that send regular signals on location, speed and other data. Jamming disrupts these signals. "The problem these days is that most ships use digitised systems, so if your GPS is jammed, then you have no real form of navigating other than by the seat of your pants," said Jim Scorer, secretary general of International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations. If a ship's crew intentionally disrupts its signalling, it is called spoofing, and may indicate illegal conduct, such as an effort to conceal a cargo or destination. If a third party disrupts signals, as is happening in the Gulf, it is referred to as jamming, according to Dimitris Ampatzidis, an analyst at Kpler. The practice has become increasingly common in conflict areas, as some militaries seek to obscure the location of navy vessels or other potential targets. Jamming has been observed in the Black Sea during Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, in the Taiwan Strait and in waters near Syria and Israel, analysts said. Several ships appeared to be on land at Port Sudan last month. "If you don't know where vessels are, you're unable to target them," said Ampatzidis. International Maritime Organization, along with other United Nations agencies, issued a statement in March expressing concern over rising cases of interference in global navigation. The oil tanker Xi Wang Mu, which was placed under U.S. sanctions, appeared to be at a Hindu temple in India earlier this year when it spoofed its location, according to analysis by maritime data platform Lloyd's List Intelligence. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Only Four of the Largest 30 Tuna Fishing Companies Disclose Catch Data, Exposing Investors to Supply Chain Risk
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New research from Planet Tracker reveals for the first time the actual catch of the world's 30 largest tuna harvesters despite their highly opaque disclosures. The study, Tuna Turner: Investors Must Turn Up Transparency in the Tuna Industry, trawls Global Fishing Watch data to reconstruct catch volumes by species and region for all 2,153 industrial vessels fishing tuna globally. The research attributes these details for the first time to companies and the countries they are headquartered, aiming to fill in the gaps in company disclosure. The report focuses on the 30 largest harvesters of tuna globally – the 'Tuna 30*' – accounting for 46% of global tuna catch. Only four out of 30 firms report any tuna catch volumes, with even lower transparency on species caught, location, catch methods and certification levels: just one of the 30 companies – Bolton Group – discloses this data. Without knowing what, where, how much and how companies fish, investors cannot know which of them are most exposed to sustainability risks. Whilst most tuna stocks are not overfished, tuna biomass has declined by 40% to 80%. And, major ecological damage persists in numerous tuna fisheries. The Tuna 30 overall extract 12% of their catch from stocks that are not at healthy levels of abundance or that are experiencing or might experience overfishing. Planet Tracker estimates that over 40% of the harvest from SAPMER, China National Agricultural Development Group and Maruha Nichiro comes from such stocks. Several tuna species are threatened with extinction. The research finds that Albacora, Maruha Nichiro, Dongwon, Bolton Group and Sajo are likely harvesters of these threatened species. Planet Tracker also finds that 56% of the Tuna 30's catch is 'dark', meaning it could not be associated to a company due to missing ownership information or satellite data. Further, most Tuna 30 companies may be spending more time fishing with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off than on. The study estimates that better data on ownership information and eliminating these AIS gaps could improve profits and valuations in the industry by an average of 0.6% and 1% respectively within five years. Francois Mosnier, Head of Nature at Planet Tracker, said: 'Better transparency, in the form of corporate disclosure on catch and AIS usage, is crucial to help investors understand the exact risks their portfolios are exposed to. We cannot distinguish good behaviour from bad behaviour without first knowing what is actually being caught, where and how on a company-by-company basis.' Planet Tracker urges investors to demand full disclosure from tuna companies on catch data and AIS compliance as a baseline for responsible investment. Notes to editor: *Planet Tracker used Global Fishing Watch data to create a database of 736,000 'likely tuna' fishing events for the year 2022, to analyse 2,153 vessels catching tuna. About Planet Tracker Planet Tracker is an award-winning non-profit financial think tank aligning capital markets with planetary boundaries. Created with the vision of a financial system that is fully aligned with a net-zero, resilient, nature positive, and just economy well before 2050, Planet Tracker generates break-through analytics that reveal both the role of capital markets in the degradation of our ecosystem and show the opportunities of transitioning to a zero-carbon, nature positive economy.
The Star
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Finland, Estonia issue alert over Gulf of Finland GPS disruptions
HELSINKI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) announced on Friday that Finland and Estonia have issued a navigational warning for vessels in the Gulf of Finland due to a significant increase in disruptions to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). According to a Traficom press release, GNSS interference has risen markedly in the first half of this year, posing serious challenges to maritime navigation and safety. These disruptions hinder vessels from accurately determining their positions, heightening the risk of navigational errors and potential maritime accidents with severe environmental implications. "Disruptions have already led to several near-miss incidents in the Gulf of Finland. To avoid more serious consequences, it is vital that vessels are prepared to operate under such conditions," said Sanna Sonninen, Traficom's maritime director. The GNSS interference is also affecting the Automatic Identification System (AIS), a key tool for tracking and identifying vessels. Reports of AIS spoofing -- the transmission of false navigational data -- have become more frequent, further compounding safety concerns. In response, authorities in Finland and Estonia have jointly issued a navigational warning covering both countries' territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. Vessels transiting the Gulf will receive automated updates on GNSS disruptions through the Electronic Navigational Chart system. Amid the escalating frequency of such disruptions, maritime authorities stressed the importance of heightened situational awareness. "Issuing timely warnings about maritime hazards is a core part of our mandate," Sonninen added. Finland and Estonia also plan to report the GNSS interference to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which will share the information with its 176 member states, Traficom said.
The Star
04-06-2025
- General
- The Star
MMEA detains Malaysian-registered vessel crewed illegally by foreigners
KLANG: A Malaysian vessel, illegally manned by Indonesians, landed in hot water after it was caught flouting maritime and Immigration regulations by the Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). Selangor Maritime director Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the vessel, which was operated by a skipper and two crew members, aged between 38 and 48 years old, was detained Tuesday (June 3) some 0.16 nautical miles south of Tanjung Harapan near here. He added that the boat was apprehended during the MMEA's enforcement patrols around Klang waters. 'An inspection found that the vessel had breached its licence condition under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 with various offences,'' said Captain Abdul Muhaimin. He added that the offences included the skipper's name not being the one stipulated in the licence as well as failure to provide the 500GT Domestic Trade Voyages licence. 'Not only that, the cargo boat's crew members' names were not found in the licence and the vessel's Automatic Identification System (AIS) was also inactive and finally, one of the crew members did not have a seaman's book,'' Captain Abdul Muhaimin said. He added the cargo boat had also flouted the Immigration Act 1959/63 as one of the foreigners did not possess valid identification documents. The Malaysian vessel had also breached maritime regulations by hiring foreigners. The vessel and the trio were taken to the Marine Police jetty at Pulau Indah to be handed over to the Selangor MMEA investigating officer for further action. 'Maritime Malaysia will not compromise on any individuals who carelessly or purposely breach the country's laws in the Malaysian maritime zone,'' said Captain Abdul Muhaimin. He added any complaints, information on maritime crime, or emergency incidents at sea can be channelled to the authorities by contacting the emergency line 999 or the Selangor State Maritime Operations Centre at 03-3176 0627 for immediate response.
