Maritime Admin Warns Mariners of Possible GPS Interference

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration is alerting mariners that major GPS interference is being reported throughout the world, including possibly unreliable “bridge navigation, GPS-based timing and communication equipment.”

Much of this reporting is coming from the Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf, and several ports in China, according to the agency. Vessels reported 37 instances of GPS interference while in the Mediterranean Sea, with 22 reports originating near Egypt.

Before embarking out to sea, mariners are encouraged to visit the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center or the NATO Shipping Center websites for ways on how to best navigate in the event of GPS interference, including reporting the interference as it’s happening, making note of the latitude/longitude, date, time, how long the outage/disruption lasted and other vital informaiton; and taking pictures or screen shots of equipment failures.

Call 703-313-5900 or go to https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=gpsUserInput to report any GPS disruptions.

By Sarah Spangler