Spoofed Tankers Flood Strait of Hormuz as Analysts Track Them

Source: wired.com

TL;DR

• Analysts track spoofed tankers turning off transponders in the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran-US-Israel war.
• Well over half of vessels had jammed signals at one point last month, with 148 dark activity events on Wednesday.
• Disruptions raise collision and oil spill risks in a waterway carrying 20% of global petroleum.

The story at a glance

Marine insurers and oil traders monitor spoofed and disappearing ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a month and a half into the war between Iran, the US, and Israel. Analysts like Michelle Wiese Bockmann at Windward AI and Samir Madani at TankerTrackers.com use satellite imagery, radar, and other signals to track around 500-600 tankers. The story is reported now as spoofing scales up, complicating visibility after late February attacks on Iran. The strait handles 20% of global petroleum consumption.

Key points

• Ships' transponders, which broadcast names, locations, routes, and IMO numbers, are jammed or spoofed to create false positions or hide vessels.
• Shadow fleets have turned off transponders for nearly a decade to evade sanctions on Iranian crude oil.
• More than 800 vessels are in the Persian Gulf; two-thirds of tanker traffic involves ships with sanction-violating histories.
• Windward AI detected 148 dark activity events—periods when ships go off transponder—on Wednesday.
• US satellite firms limited high-resolution imagery of the region in April, forcing analysts to dust off old sources like electro-optical imagery and synthetic-aperture radar.
• Iranian vessels use every deceptive practice, making 100% visibility impossible.

Details and context

Spoofing and jamming have grown during the war, which escalated after Israel and the US attacked Iran in late February. Analysts have tracked these tactics for years but now face higher volumes, with over half the strait's vessels affected last month.[[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/spoofed-tankers-strait-of-hormuz/)[[2]](https://www.wired.com/story/spoofed-tankers-strait-of-hormuz)

Windward AI and TankerTrackers.com serve clients by combining satellite data, radio signals, ship registries, and even mobile device signals from crews. They reverse-engineer patterns from historical data on known suspicious tankers.

Risks include collisions, groundings, and oil spills in crowded waters. Complete tracking is tough against Iran's deceptive methods, especially with some satellite restrictions.

Key quotes

• “I keep a very, very close eye on a large cohort of 500 or 600 tankers. Some of them I've been watching for years now,” says Michelle Wiese Bockmann of Windward AI.[[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/spoofed-tankers-strait-of-hormuz/)
• “When it comes to Iran, having 100 percent visibility is not possible,” Bockmann says.[[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/spoofed-tankers-strait-of-hormuz/)

Why it matters

Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten global energy supplies, as it carries 20% of the world's petroleum and spoofing heightens accident risks like spills or collisions. Insurers, traders, and financial firms struggle to assess dangers and insure shipments, while energy prices could spike from uncertainty. Watch for more tracking innovations or enforcement changes, though full visibility on Iranian ships remains elusive.