Ships in the Eastern Mediterranean have frequently encountered GPS signal jammer's interference in recent days, and the Black Sea region is also suffering from serious problems. On April 4, AIS signals showed that more than 100 cargo ships appeared at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport in Lebanon. AIS manipulation has frequently occurred in the region since Hamas attacked Israel in October last year.
GPS interference has a wide impact
There has been a surge in GPS interference incidents in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, which can affect or manipulate the navigation data of ships, especially near conflict areas. According to ship tracking data from the Lloyd's Maritime Database, about 117 transport cargo ships appeared at Beirut Airport on April 4. Previously, ships in the Eastern Mediterranean were shown to appear near the airport for the first time.
Disguised destination phenomenon
Cairo International Airport is another disguised destination. On April 3, 45 ships marked it as their location. The appearance of ships in impossible locations is the result of interference with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which camouflages the data of the ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS).
GPS interference sources and effects
Thomas Spriggs, data scientist at Lloyd's Maritime Database, said that GPS interference is similar to the situation in the Black Sea region, where ship location information appears at Moscow Airport. The interference of AIS data in the Eastern Mediterranean may be a defensive measure by Israeli forces. Arran Kennedy, a researcher at Control Risks, believes that as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, AIS interference in the Eastern Mediterranean is likely to continue. Despite the impact on shipping, Israel believes that this move will reduce the threat to it from GPS-guided missiles and drones.
GPS interference in the Black Sea region
The Black Sea is also a common area for GPS interference, and Russia has tried to interfere with Ukraine's offensive operations. In January, the number of ships AIS showed as appearing at Moscow Airport increased sharply, and Kiev Airport also became a new "camouflaged" location. On April 1, 227 ships appeared in the Black Sea at land locations, which was the highest number of ships interfered since the emergence of AIS interference.