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Israel, Iran ceasefire remains fragile, maritime threat

elevated

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Vessels transmitting atypical messages to deter attacks

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Electronic interference affects navigation systems

By Georgina McCartney and Arathy Somasekhar

HOUSTON, June 26 (Reuters) - Vessels near the Strait of

Hormuz have been broadcasting unusual messages concerning

nationality in a bid to avoid being attacked as doubts linger

over the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, according to

maritime risk analytics firm Windward and ship tracking data on

Thursday.

The signals have been used since conflict broke out between

Israel and Iran early this month, which led the U.S. to strike

Iranian nuclear sites.

U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire after 12

days of war but the maritime threat remains elevated, the Joint

Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said.

"The perception among shipowners is that due to the

convoluted nature of shipping it's hard to know or ascertain

clearly a chain of ownership to nationalities which may be under

higher threat in shipping, namely the UK, U.S. and Israel," said

Ami Daniel, chief executive officer of Windward.

Fifty-five vessels transmitted 101 atypical messages across

the Gulf and Red Sea from June 12-24, Windward said, including

"China owned" and "Russian crude", in the hope of preventing

attacks because those countries are less likely to be targeted

than Western ships.

Commercial maritime traffic surged 30% on June 24, the day

after the ceasefire, according to the JMIC. Roughly a fifth of

the world's fuel and oil consumption moves through the Strait of

Hormuz.

Vessels typically broadcast their destinations or say

"For Orders". Occasionally, vessels also transmit messages such

as "Armed Guards on Board" to deter pirates or other attacks.

Unusual messages were almost only seen in the Red Sea before

June 12, said Windward's Daniel. The Red Sea had been the focus

of a series of attacks by Houthi rebels since the Israel-Gaza

war broke out.

"I've never seen it in the Persian Gulf," Daniel said.

Panama-flagged container ship Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan, bound

for Pakistan, was broadcasting "PKKHI all Chinese" on Thursday

as it crossed the Strait of Hormuz, according to LSEG data.

China-flagged supertanker Yuan Yang Hu was broadcasting

"Chinese ship" on Thursday morning while crossing the Strait of

Hormuz. Carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to China, the

signal changed to "CN NBG", the Chinese Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan,

once the vessel had cleared the Strait.

Singapore-flagged container ship Kota Cabar was

signalling "Vsl no link Israel" as it sailed through the Red

Sea.

JMIC also warned of electronic interference in the region

affecting Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

A jammed GNSS can cause ships to go off course, increasing

the risk of collision with other vessels or obstacles.