Commercial vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz and other high-risk waters, from the Red Sea to the Black Sea, face threats from missile and drone attacks, GPS jamming and spoofing, unmanned vessels and other ships operating with AIS switched off. These conditions create serious challenges for maritime security and navigation.
For shipowners and operators, the first question is whether a transit should proceed at all. Decisions must take account of current threat assessments, official security guidance, the safety of the crew and the option to delay or avoid passage. Where a transit is considered necessary and appropriate, careful preparation and coordination between ship and shore become essential.
Bridge teams must also contend with an incomplete or unreliable navigational picture. GPS/GNSS interference can compromise position information, while vessels not transmitting AIS may be absent from electronic traffic displays. In these conditions, AI-powered visual awareness can provide an additional source of information about nearby vessels and objects, complementing radar, direct observation and established watchkeeping procedures.
This discussion explores how shipowners, masters and shore-based teams can assess and manage the dangers of high-risk transits, where AI-powered visual awareness can support watchkeeping and safe navigation, and the limits of technology in protecting vessels and crews from hostile action.
What we’ll discuss:
- The decision to transit: How owners, masters and security teams assess the risks, including when to delay or avoid passage
- Preparing the bridge: Managing unreliable GPS information, gaps in AIS coverage and reduced visibility, within established regulatory and security guidance
- Maintaining situational awareness: How human judgment, Radar, lookouts and AI-powered visual awareness work together, and the limitations of each
- Preparing for incidents: Ship-shore coordination, emergency readiness and supporting crews when a security incident occurs
Speakers
