Ukraine Issues Warning on Navigation Disruptions in Black Sea

Ukraine’s seaports authority has issued a cautionary notice to shipowners regarding disruptions to satellite navigation systems in the Black Sea, warning of potential spoofing incidents affecting ship tracking. The advisory, sent last week and reviewed by Bloomberg, specifically advises masters of vessels heading to Greater Odesa about the heightened risk of losing satellite navigation signals.

Although the letter does not explicitly attribute the disruptions, analysts suggest they are part of Russia’s efforts to counter Ukrainian drone operations in the region. The interference could also impact maritime traffic carrying commodities, complicating navigation for vessels relying on accurate positioning information.

Andriy Klimenko, from the Institute of Black Sea Strategic Studies, noted that the disruptions are escalating, attributing them to Russian military actions aimed not only at defending against Ukrainian threats but also at complicating Ukrainian exports and tracking Russian oil shipments.

Both Ukraine’s seaports authority and Russia’s defense ministry declined immediate comment on the matter.

In recent instances, Moscow’s measures to interfere with GPS signals have affected airline operations in the Baltic and Finland, prompting reliance on alternative navigation methods. The current disruptions in the Black Sea are reported to affect all ships in the vicinity rather than individual vessels selectively turning off tracking systems.

While there have been no reported slowdowns in exports due to these navigation issues thus far, ongoing disruptions may pose operational difficulties and complicate efforts to monitor commodity movements. Analysts estimate that a significant number of vessels in the Black Sea are currently broadcasting compromised location data, particularly those involved in transporting Russian coal.

In recent months, instances have been observed where ship-tracking systems display vessels in locations deemed implausible, including on land in Crimea and even at a Moscow airport.