Posts Tagged ‘jamming’
Clear signal Baltic states call out Russia for navigational shenanigans
Fourteen countries bordering the Baltic and North seas are pointing the finger at Russia as the source of navigational-signal jamming and ship-identification manipulation that are making their waters increasingly dangerous places to sail. The countries now urge everyone that has anything to do with shipping—flag states, shipping companies and operators, to name three—to be aware of the risks Russian antics pose and ensure their vessels are prepared, should they be forced to make due without electronic navigation systems.
Although the start of Russia’s jamming coincides with its annexation of Crimea, in 2014, the problem grew significantly worse after the start of its unprovoked war against Ukraine, in 2022. Mostly, this has been a problem for its neighbours who are in Nato (Latvia says it saw the number instances of jamming rise to 820 in 2024, compared with 26 in 2022) but, by framing jamming in terms of maritime safety, they are making it an international issue. Up to now, countering jamming has mostly involved making sure that mariners have the skills to sail without satnav—and, most recently, giving them alternative, if lower-tech, systems they can use to navigate by. Coastal states, however, say they will require that vessels adhere to the vast body of international maritime-safety regulations. Call it a pretext for preventative action.
Read MoreLighthouses will guide them Sweden goes low-tech to combat satnav interruptions
For mariners in the Baltic Sea plagued by disrupted satellite-navigation systems, help is on its way in the form of a forgotten technology. Sjöfartsverket, the Swedish maritime authority, will equip a total of ten lighthouses on Sweden’s south-eastern coast, starting with Kapelludden (pictured above), with what is known as a radar beacon, a system that, in short, emits a Morse-code signal when it receives a radar signal. Navigators who receive the signal can then determine their ship’s location from the bearing and distance to the beacon.
Sweden, like other countries in the Baltic, points to Russia as the source of disruptions to satnav systems used not just by ships, but also aeroplanes, and research has shown the signal that causes the them is strongest near Kaliningrad. Regardless of who is to blame, it is a growing problem. Mariners say it is a regular occurrence, and perhaps tens of thousands of ships in one of the world’s busiest maritime areas have been affected. Fortunately, navigators can still find their way with other methods, including navigational charts on paper. They require more effort to use—and often additional training—but they are also harder to disrupt. Necessity is also the mother of re-invention.
(📸 Stefan Svanaeus)
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