Nearly 1,000 ships’ GPS jammed near Iran daily, Navy group says

Close to 1,000 ships a day are seeing their GPS signals jammed near Iran’s coast, according to a French naval liaison group.

The disruption makes it harder to navigate safely at night, in poor visibility or when there’s heavy shipping traffic, the MICA Center, which promotes co-operation between navies and commercial shipping said in a post on X. On average, 970 vessels have had their signals jammed daily since June 13, it said.

It’s likely the disruption was an aggravating factor in the fiery crash between the Front Eagle and Adalynn oil tankers earlier this week, the center said, adding that the exact causes of the collision have yet to be determined.

Heavy disruption to GPS signal as vessels navigate the narrow Strait of Hormuz has been one of the main impacts on global shipping since Israel attacked Iran last week. About a fifth of the world’s oil flows through the narrow waterway, making it a vital chokepoint for energy supplies.