GPS Disruption Reported In World’s Most Critical Maritime Chokepoint

A new report has emerged stating that vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz are experiencing GPS interference, disrupting electronic navigation systems and forcing commercial ships to rely on manual or backup methods in one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. 

UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced on X late Sunday morning that it has “received reports from vessels experiencing GPS interference in the Strait of Hormuz area, with disruptions lasting several hours, affecting navigation systems and requiring vessels to rely on backup methods.”

UKMTO provided no further information on the source of the GPS interference. However, if it was caused by a foreign adversary such as Iran, GPS interference in the critical maritime chokepoint would be considered a form of hybrid warfare. 

GPS interference or spoofing falls into the domain of non-kinetic warfare—it doesn’t involve firing weapons but can degrade vessel operations in the strait. 

The incident occurred after Iran’s president and the US agreed to continued nuclear talks on Saturday. 

“We are negotiating, and we will negotiate, we are not after war but we do not fear any threat,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a speech to the military broadcasted on state television.

The issue with GPS disruptions in the strait is that it’s considered an energy superhighway for the global economy. About 20% of global oil (and about 30% of seaborne-traded oil) passes through the narrow stretch of water (approximately 17 to 20 million barrels of oil per day) that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Last year, analysts led by Tom Joyce, managing director and capital market strategist at MUFG, showed clients the critical maritime chokepoints across the Middle East, including the Suez Canal, the Bab-El Mandeb Strait, and the Strait of Hormuz. This note was published around the time Iran-backed Houthis were just getting started on their campaign to attack US and Israel-linked ships in the Southern Red Sea. 

Any disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—whether through conventional conflict, cyber operations, GPS spoofing, or sabotage—can trigger a surge in the war risk premium for Brent crude prices, elevate maritime insurance premiums, and undermine global energy security. 

While there are currently no indications that the GPS interference incident will impact crude markets when futures reopen, the incident warrants additional monitoring.