MSC Antonia Grounds in Red Sea Amid GPS Spoofing Concerns

The container ship MSC Antonia ran aground in the Red Sea near Jeddah on May 10 and has remained immobile since. While MSC has not released an official statement regarding potential damage or the circumstances leading to the grounding, GPS spoofing is being widely suspected as the cause.

At the time of the incident, the vessel had recently called at Port Sudan and was en route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is currently grounded about 100 nautical miles from the Saudi coastline.

GPS spoofing, a cyber tactic that involves transmitting misleading signals to confuse GPS receivers, is believed to have potentially caused the ship to veer off its intended route. This form of interference can distort navigation systems, resulting in vessels unintentionally deviating from their planned courses.

The theory that the MSC Antonia was affected by such interference gained traction following a warning issued by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on May 9. The advisory highlighted a series of reports from ships in the Red Sea, particularly near Jeddah and Port Sudan, experiencing electronic disturbances and navigation anomalies.

No updates have yet been provided regarding refloating efforts or the extent of any damage sustained by the vessel.