Maritime analysis company Windward stated that the security situation in waters near the Strait of Hormuz remains tense. A large number of commercial vessels, concerned about military conflict, electronic interference, and the risk of being targeted, have chosen to turn off their Automatic Identification Systems and enter a “dark sailing” state.
Xinhua News Agency reports that Windward, headquartered in the United Kingdom, released a report on Thursday (May 7) stating that between April 19 and May 3, “dark ship” activity in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters surged by nearly 600%. On May 5, satellites identified 167 commercial-scale vessels in the strait area, of which 146 had turned off their Automatic Identification Systems.
The report states that satellite imagery shows multiple vessels have recently crossed the strait with their Automatic Identification Systems turned off.
On May 7, satellite images obtained near Larak Island in the northern Strait of Hormuz detected nine commercial vessels over 150 meters in length that were not transmitting Automatic Identification System signals, including ultra-large crude carriers, container ships, and chemical tankers. These vessels were sailing both into and out of the Persian Gulf, indicating that shipping through the strait has not been interrupted but is gradually moving away from traditional visual monitoring systems.
Analysts believe that some vessels turn off their Automatic Identification Systems to avoid exposing their routes amid the current U.S. maritime blockade of Iran and regional military standoff; other operators, for safety reasons, attempt to reduce the risk of being tracked, targeted, or even attacked.
The report also states that satellite images obtained on May 6 show 39 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboats forming a fleet and sailing westward in the Strait of Hormuz. Analysis suggests that against the backdrop of continuously declining maritime visibility, such coordinated action by a large number of speedboats demonstrates Iran’s control over the strait.
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