New Delhi: The Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz have become increasingly dangerous for commercial shipping amid escalating regional tensions, according to a recent advisory from India’s Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR). The centre, which monitors maritime security across the Indian Ocean, described the situation as “volatile”. It highlighted a sharp rise in risks to vessels transiting the key chokepoint, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil passes. “Concurrently, GPS interference and spoofing incidents reported across key nodes such as Fujairah approaches are further degrading navigational reliability and situational awareness,” the advisory stated.
Recent analysis by the Indian Maritime Centre shows a significant drop in traceable vessel movements, with more ships engaging in “dark transits”, turning off their Automatic Identification System (AIS), or manipulating signals to obscure their positions. This trend has intensified navigational hazards in already congested waters.
The advisory also pointed to emerging dangers from debris. In several cases, vessels suffered minimal damage from falling objects, which experts believe originated from intercepted aerial threats rather than direct strikes. “This underscores a widening hazard envelope, where maritime traffic faces risk not only from direct targeting but also from fallout in active air defence zones,” it noted.
The cumulative impact is severely affecting global trade. Confidence among shippers has plummeted, war risk premiums have surged, and supply chains for energy and goods are under strain.
The IFC-IOR’s latest update reported 25 incidents in the region, with 21 vessels hit and seven lives lost. One Indian-flagged vessel has been targeted, though Indian authorities have stressed no casualties on Indian-flagged ships so far, with monitoring ongoing for Indian crew on foreign vessels.
Shipping companies and ships’ masters have been urged to exercise “heightened caution”, maintain AIS discipline where safe, and follow Best Management Practices (BMP) and IFC-IOR advisories closely. The warnings come against a backdrop of widespread electronic interference, with reports of hundreds of vessels affected by GPS jamming and spoofing in recent days, further complicating safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
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The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) said 22 Indian-flagged vessels, carrying 611 Indian seafarers, are currently present west of Hormuz. More than 488 Indian seafarers have been safely repatriated, with 16 in the past 24 hours.
