Ships seen using evasion tactics to travel through Hormuz

Amid the American naval blockade on Iran, maritime intelligence experts say they have observed a rise in evasive shipping behavior around the Strait of Hormuz, The New York Times reports.

Most large commercial vessels must travel with a transponder that broadcasts the ship’s name, location, route, and other identifying details.

“Now, we are starting to see vessels going dark or using ‘zombie’ or random identification,” says Ami Daniel, chief of Windward, a maritime intelligence firm, in an interview with the NYT.

During the war, Iranian ships had “almost no need to go off radar,” but in the past day, more ships appear to be spoofing or manipulating their signals, Daniel says, adding that vessels linked to Iran are being “a bit more cautious.”

Maritime analysts have cautioned during the recent weeks of conflict around the strait that ships’ signals in the region have been disrupted and manipulated, making precise tracking difficult.

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that more than 20 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours.

Earlier, the US Central Command said no ships had made it past its naval blockade of Iran’s ports and coastal areas, and six merchant ships had followed orders to turn back.