Qatar Orders Ships to Halt Navigation in its Waters Due to GPS "Fault"

 

On Saturday, Qatari authorities took the extraordinary step of ordering all shipping interests to stop navigating because of "a technical fault in the GPS," officially bringing the country's maritime commerce to a halt. 

The ministry said that the order would remain in effect indefinitely until the issue is resolved. The nature of the fault was not disclosed, but GPS interference is a routine issue in the Arabian Gulf, particularly at times of heightened tensions between Iran and its geopolitical opponents. In recent months, Qatari citizens have reported frequent GPS errors affecting their personal mobile devices, all showing a virtual and erroneous "location" in Iran. 

This form of spoofing is a common electronic warfare technique, and is typically applied as a defensive measure to throw off the guidance systems of inbound attackers and their weaponry. It may also be used as a form of deniable "hybrid warfare" harassment, disrupting commerce without leaving clues to the perpetrator's identity. 

The practical effect of the transport ministry's decree was not immediately clear. As of Sunday evening, marine traffic appeared to be moving briskly in Qatari territorial seas, with dozens of merchant vessels navigating at typical speeds near Doha and Ras Laffan. Qatar is the one of the world's leading exporters of natural gas, and any interruption in its LNG carrier traffic would have an effect on global energy markets; despite the decree, typical berthing maneuvers appeared to be under way at the loading piers in Ras Laffan's inner harbor as of Sunday. 

GPS spoofing incidents are usually treated as an inconvenience by shipping interests, an added risk but not a cause for cessation of operations. The central Baltic Sea has been subjected to constant GPS spoofing and jamming for years, without interrupting the flow of marine commerce (though it has a more serious effect on aviation). Researchers believe the Baltic jamming to be linked to powerful GPS spoofing transmitters, likely operated by a nation-state actor.