Vessels near Strait of Hormuz transmit unusual messages to prevent attacks
HOUSTON, June 26 (Reuters) - Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz have been broadcasting unusual messages concerning nationality in a bid to avoid being attacked as doubts linger over the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, according to maritime risk analytics firm Windward and ship tracking data on Thursday.
The signals have been used since conflict broke out between Israel and Iran early this month, which led the U.S. to strike Iranian nuclear sites.
U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire after 12 days of war but the maritime threat remains elevated, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said.
"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, U.S. and Israel," said Ami Daniel, chief executive officer of Windward.
Fifty-five vessels transmitted 101 atypical messages across the Gulf and Red Sea from June 12-24, Windward said, including "China owned" and "Russian crude", in the hope of preventing attacks because those countries are less likely to be targeted than Western ships.
Commercial maritime traffic surged 30% on June 24, the day after the ceasefire, according to the JMIC. Roughly a fifth of the world's fuel and oil consumption moves through the Strait of Hormuz.
Vessels typically broadcast their destinations or say "For Orders". Occasionally, vessels also transmit messages such as "Armed Guards on Board" to deter pirates or other attacks.
Unusual messages were almost only seen in the Red Sea before June 12, said Windward's Daniel. The Red Sea had been the focus of a series of attacks by Houthi rebels since the Israel-Gaza war broke out.
"I've never seen it in the Persian Gulf," Daniel said.
Panama-flagged container ship Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan, bound for Pakistan, was broadcasting "PKKHI all Chinese" on Thursday as it crossed the Strait of Hormuz, according to LSEG data.
China-flagged supertanker Yuan Yang Hu was broadcasting "Chinese ship" on Thursday morning while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to China, the signal changed to "CN NBG", the Chinese Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, once the vessel had cleared the Strait.
Singapore-flagged container ship Kota Cabar was signalling "Vsl no link Israel" as it sailed through the Red Sea.
JMIC also warned of electronic interference in the region affecting Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
A jammed GNSS can cause ships to go off course, increasing the risk of collision with other vessels or obstacles.
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Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Following NATO summit, Trump and Europe still at odds over Putin's ambitions
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The message from others at the summit was starkly different. A senior NATO official told reporters in a Tuesday briefing that Putin was not in fact interested in a ceasefire - or in engaging in good-faith talks at all. "Regardless of battlefield dynamics, we continue to doubt that Russia has any interest in meaningful negotiations," the official said. Russia's ambitions, the senior official said, go beyond control of "certain territories at their administrative lines," as Rubio put it. Putin is instead bent on imposing his "political will" on neighboring states. Rutte put the Russian threat in existential terms. "If we do not invest now," he said on Tuesday, "we are really at risk that the Russians might try something against NATO territory in three, five or seven years." The U.S. is not the only NATO member with a more optimistic view of Russia. 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The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
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Times
33 minutes ago
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British students hoping to study in US warned about online posts
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