Red Sea ships faking links to Russia and China to dodge attacks
Ships traveling near the Red Sea and Persian Gulf have begun transmitting false Russian and Chinese affiliations to avoid potential attacks, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing maritime risk analytics firm Windward and vessel tracking data.
Tehran, which controls the Strait of Hormuz – a key route for global oil – threatened to close it if the US joined Israeli strikes on its nuclear sites. Iran's parliament reportedly approved the move on Sunday, though the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council.
Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea since late 2023, citing solidarity with the Palestinians during the Gaza conflict. While US President Donald Trump brokered a deal in May to halt the attacks in exchange for a pause in Western airstrikes, the group has since warned that it would target US ships if Washington backed Israeli attacks on Iran.
Although a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Iran earlier this week, Ami Daniel, the CEO of Windward, said shipping companies remain skeptical about vessel safety in the area.
'The perception among shipowners is that due to the convoluted nature of shipping it's hard to know or ascertain clearly a chain of ownership to nationalities which may be under higher threat in shipping, namely the UK, US and Israel,' Daniel told Reuters.
Windward said 55 vessels sent a total of 101 atypical ID messages, such as 'China owned' or 'Russian crude,' between June 12 and 24 in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. The firm said these were likely used to reduce the risk of being mistaken for Western or Israel-linked ships. A Panama-flagged ship en route to Pakistan signaled 'PKKHI all Chinese,' while a Singapore-flagged vessel transmitted 'Vsl no link Israel.'
Daniel added that under normal circumstances vessels transmit destinations or neutral terms such as 'For Orders,' while some use 'Armed Guards on Board' in high-risk zones. But after Israel's strikes on Iran, the use of non-standard messages spiked and spread from the Red Sea into the Persian Gulf.
News of ships disguising vessel identities comes as the West continues to sanction what it sees as Russian-linked maritime activity. The EU and US have accused Moscow and its trade partners of using a 'shadow fleet' of tankers operating outside Western insurance rules to bypass sanctions. In May, the EU blacklisted 189 additional vessels – many flying the flags of other countries – bringing the total under restriction to 342. Brussels is currently discussing another package that would add another 77 ships to the list.
Russia has repeatedly denounced the sanctions against its shipping sector as illegal. Presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev earlier warned that Western efforts to hinder Russian maritime transit through international straits were 'de facto acts of piracy,' adding that such moves increasingly resemble a 'naval blockade.' He said Russia is prepared to deploy its navy to safeguard navigation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
NATO's spending hike math doesn't add up
NATO expects a military conflict with Russia within the next five years yet plans to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP only by 2035, a timeline that Russian Foreign Ministry official Vladislav Maslennikov pointed out as contradictory during a Valdai Discussion Club session on Friday. At a summit held in The Hague this week, members of the US-led bloc pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, citing what they described as the 'long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.' US President Donald Trump, who has consistently pressed European allies to take on more of the defense burden, welcomed the deal as a 'monumental win.' Maslennikov, who heads up the ministry's Department for European Cooperation questioned how the bloc justifies a distant spending target while simultaneously anticipating a near-term confrontation. 'It's not just the logic that's flawed — the arithmetic doesn't add up either,' Maslennikov said. 'If the public is being told that Russia is expected to launch an attack by 2030, then why is the European Union only aiming to be fully prepared by 2035? It doesn't make much sense,' he argued. Another challenge NATO faces on defense policy is the lack of a unified stance among member states regarding dialogue with Russia, Maslennikov believes. While some EU nations see engagement as necessary, others advocate for cutting ties with Russia entirely. 'Some want to rule out any possibility of future dialogue with us, while others acknowledge that, sooner or later, constructive engagement will be necessary – after all, geography cannot be changed,' Maslennikov said. According to the diplomat, the so-called 'Russian threat' is a 'highly convenient construct for NATO.' Moscow believes reversing this narrative will be difficult and it has no intention of making the first move toward restoring constructive engagement. 'Much will depend on how our relationship with the United States evolves,' he stressed. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the rhetoric about the threat posed by Russia to NATO as an 'inconceivable lie' used by Western governments to justify tax increases and the diversion of public funds to the military-industrial complex. Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, Putin warned that this kind of military posturing only escalates global tensions while diverting resources from social and economic needs.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Iran bars UN atomic energy chief from its nuclear sites
Iran has barred the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from visiting its nuclear facilities. Tehran has accused the agency of distorting facts in a recent report, thereby providing justification for the recent Israeli and US strikes against the Islamic Republic. The vice speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Hamid Reza Haji Babaei, announced on Saturday that Tehran would no longer allow IAEA personnel, including chief Rafael Grossi personally, to inspect its nuclear sites, as quoted by the local media outlet Mehr. The agency's surveillance cameras will cease operating at the facilities, he added. Earlier this week, Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, approved a legislation to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until Iran is given security guarantees for its nuclear facilities. The bill is currently awaiting ratification. Israel, which has for years has claimed that Tehran is secretly developing a nuclear weapon program, launched massive airstrikes against Iran on June 13, targeting several nuclear sites and a number of senior military commanders and scientists believed to be involved in the nuclear program. Last Sunday, the US joined the Israeli military campaign, striking the Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear facilities. Shortly thereafter, a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Iran. Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is strictly peaceful in nature. In a post on X last week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei accused the IAEA of issuing a 'biased report' that 'obscured this truth' and was 'instrumentalized… to craft a resolution' that was later used by Israel to justify 'an unlawful attack' on Iran's nuclear facilities. He also suggested that the agency had handed over 'sensitive facility data' to Israel. The document released earlier this month stated that 'Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60%.' The UN nuclear watchdog's board then declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation duties for the first time in 20 years, with 19 out of 35 IAEA member states backing the motion, including the US, UK, France, and Germany. Appearing on CNN last Thursday, Grossi insisted that the watchdog's report 'could hardly be a basis for military action.' He added that the agency did not 'have any indication that there is a systematic program in Iran to manufacture, to produce a nuclear weapon.' On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the 'Europeans… were actively preparing Grossi so that he would put the most ambiguously negative formulations into his report.' Weeks before the Israeli and US airstrikes against Iran, Reuters cited anonymous diplomats as making allegations to the same effect.
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
US terminating trade talks with Canada
US President Donald Trump has announced the termination of all trade talks with Canada in light of Ottawa's tax on digital services, which he called a 'adirect and blatant attack on our country.' Relations between the neighbors began to sour when Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods in February soon after taking office. Ottawa responded with reciprocal tariffs. Trump later temporarily suspended the tariffs, expressing a willingness to negotiate individually favorable terms for US businesses with the countries that he had targeted for tariffs. Trump has long accused Canada of taking unfair advantage of the US and has on several occasions suggested that it should become the 51st US state, arguing that Washington effectively subsidizes Canada's economy. In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump stated that 'Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with… has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country.' 'Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately,' the US president proclaimed. He added that his government would notify Ottawa of the 'Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period.' Later on Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters that his country would 'continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interests of Canadians.' However, he noted that he had yet to speak with Trump about the issue. Canada's digital services tax, enacted in June 2024, requires companies providing digital services in the country and earning more than CAD 20 million ($14.5 million) in revenue from Canadian sources to pay a 3% tax on their profits. The first payments are due on Monday. According to Canadian media, US tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Airbnb, Google, Meta, and Uber are expected to pay approximately $2 billion by the end of July. The tax is retroactive to January 1, 2022. In March, Carney described Trump's tariffs as 'unjustified' and stated that 'Canada will win' the trade war with the US. He vowed that Canada 'will never, ever, in any way, shape, or form, be part of the United States.'
