U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Reports, 16 July - 13 August 2025

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Reports, 16 July - 13 August 2025 by lawofsea

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report, 20 March to 17 April 2024

U.S. Navy Office of Naval ... by lawofsea

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 31 March - 28 April 2021

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 3 February to 3 March 2021

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 16 December 2020 to 13 January 2021

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 16 December 2020 to 13 Januar... by lawofsea on Scribd

Rogue Country Troubles: Faking Ship Identities to Avoid Sanctions and More

Bloomberg reports here

The island nation of Palau says a tanker that recently loaded Venezuelan crude was using a false signal to disguise its identity, potentially putting the Pacific country in the crosshairs of U.S. sanctions.

***

“It appears that this vessel is claiming to be registered with the Palau International Ship Registry. This claim is false,” Palau’s ministry of state said in the note to Venezuela’s foreign affairs ministry. “It therefore appears that the vessel is using a falsified AIS signal in order to mask its true identity.” The letter was delivered to several Venezuelan embassies, including the one in Tokyo, says Steven Kanai, a special assistant to Palau’s president on international maritime matters and foreign relations.

The tanker that loaded in Venezuela was using a practice known as “spoofing,” where vessels send a signal with another ship’s registration number under the maritime industry’s Automatic Identification System, according to London-based ship tracker Windward Ltd. If so, it would represent a new tactic in the cat-and-mouse maneuvers deployed by companies trading oil with Venezuela in defiance of U.S. sanctions.

Over the past six months, the names of 13 vessels that are registered as broken-up appeared in Venezuelan crude-loading programs seen by Bloomberg. The Ndros, though, was the only one among those names to appear off the coast of Venezuela by satellite signal.

More on AIS "spoofing" at Windward here:

When originally developed, the sole purpose of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) was to enable vessels to see one another at sea, thereby avoiding collisions. With time, AIS use has evolved, and with it, the reliance vessels have on it. Today, governments and security agencies use AIS to detect and prevent illicit activities at sea, and private organizations use AIS data as a crucial element of their due-diligence process.

***

Following the 2012 sanctions placed on Iran, AIS manipulations rose drastically, creating a new wave of problems for enforcement agencies. Iranian tankers, no longer able to enter international ports, simply changed their flags and entered international ports under false pretense. This brought to light the ease with which bad actors could manipulate AIS data as well as the growing need for alternative monitoring and security tools.

***

AIS spoofing progressed as Iranian and North Korean vessels continued exploiting AIS vulnerabilities, taking their methods to new levels and showcasing the sophisticated capabilities of criminals and sanction-evaders.

***

As bad-actors continually seek new ways to engage in AIS spoofing and exploit vulnerabilities, any business looking to protect its assets must stay one step ahead of the game; that means having the best technology do what it was designed to do, and having the right tools at hand to keep any unwanted players out of their waters.

Gee, who would have guessed that Iran, the NORKS, and Venezuela would be involved in such antics?

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 9 December 2020 to 6 January 2021

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea

Fun with Iran: Revolutionary Guards to Take Control?

Interesting piece in Foreign Affairs, The Revolutionary Guards Are Poised to Take Over Iran:

That Iran will soon have a military-run government is not a foregone conclusion,

but it seems increasingly to be the most likely. Iranians are frustrated with partisan tensions and compounding crises. U.S. sanctions have drained the country’s economic lifeblood: purchasing power parity has decreased to two-thirds of what it was a decade ago, even as the public’s obsession with wealth has grown exponentially. Wounded pride and resentment that Iranians cannot enjoy the international prestige they deserve is giving rise to a novel form of nationalism.

President Hassan Rouhani, unable to deliver on either his domestic or foreign policy promises, has apparently thrown in the towel, as his recent management of the pandemic indicates. He was reluctant to recognize the novel coronavirus as a national threat until it was too late, and his contradictory messages on the subject confused the public and even garnered criticism from the supreme leader. By comparison, the IRGC holds a strong hand that is growing only stronger. But the very nature of its advantages may militate against its becoming the custodian of the state.

***

The IRGC presents itself as the cure for Iran’s national malaise, but it is in fact a big contributor to the problem. Its regional exploits dim the country’s prospects for sustained and steady development. Under U.S. sanctions, the IRGC expanded an underground economy, complete with a new corrupt elite of “smuggling entrepreneurs.” The IRGC prevents the government from recruiting experts whom it deems politically unfit, and it derails government policies and projects at will. All the while, it issues propaganda insisting that politicians and bureaucrats are to blame.

Sounds like more good times for Iran. I feel for the people, caught up in this nightmare.

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 16 July - 12 August 2020 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/SOUTHEAST ASIA Weekly Piracy Update for 6 -12 August 2020

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea on Scribd

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea on Scribd

Fun with Iran: Allegedly "Hijacked" Tanker Ends Up in Iran Under Suspicious Circumstances

AP report UN agency: US-sought tanker 'hijacked' off UAE now in Iran

A United Nations agency acknowledged Sunday that a U.S.-sought oil tanker “hijacked” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates after allegedly smuggling Iranian crude oil is back in Iranian waters.

Gulf Sky fka Nautica Source: VesselFinder.com

The International Labor Organization said that the MT Gulf Sky was hijacked July 5, citing its captain. That mirrors earlier reporting by The Associated Press.

“The vessel was taken to Iran,” the ILO said.
***
Iranian state media and officials have not acknowledged the hijacking and arrival of the MT Gulf Sky to Iran. The U.S. government similarly has not commented.

In May, the U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against two Iranians, accusing them of trying to launder some $12 million to purchase the tanker, then named the MT Nautica, through a series of front companies.

Court documents allege the smuggling scheme involved the Quds Force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which is its elite expeditionary unit, as well as Iran’s national oil and tanker companies. The two men charged, one of whom also has an Iraqi passport, remain at large.

A U.S. bank froze funds associated with the sale, causing the seller to launch a lawsuit in the UAE to repossess the vessel, the Justice Department earlier said. That civil action was believed to still be pending, raising questions of how the tanker sailed away from the Emirates after being seized by authorities there.

Fun with Iran: Pipeline Planned for Iranian Port Outside Strait of Hormuz

Iran launches key pipeline project to bypass Strait of Hormuz for oil exports :

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani launched an oil pipeline project which will enable the country to export its oil using a route other than the Strait of Hormuz, Tasnim news agency reported.

“What is strategic about this project is that many countries in the region have managed to find a second way so that they can export their oil using other routes whenever the Strait of Hormuz faces danger,” Rouhani said addressing a ceremony to inaugurate the project.

The 1,000-km pipeline will bring oil from Goreh in Bushehr port city in the Gulf to another port city of Jask in the Sea of Oman.

The Kharg Island terminal in the Gulf is currently Iran’s main terminal, accounting for 90 percent of its oil exports. To reach Kharg, tankers must pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

With the launch of the pipeline from Goreh to Jask, the country’s oil exports will no longer be linked to the Hormuz Strait, which will make Jask strategically important as the country’s second-largest crude oil export terminal.

Seems like an interesting plan.

Don't know who Iran thinks might close the Strait of Hormuz, but it's nice of them to be planning to provide additional targets for the same folks who might want to stop Iranian shipments from Kharg Island. A 600 mile long pipeline and a nice new terminal? Tempting.

Jask location

Kharg Island in red circle, Jask with red pin

Kharg Island facilities

As you might guess, this is a partial response to the earlier reported Omani effort to build a large storage and loading facility on the Arabian Sea. And it's a recognition that it's a long transit from Kharg Island to open water.

Unknown Iranian Humorist Has Fun with Words

Any illegal, provocative move to receive Iran's rigid, resolute response reads the headline from the Islamic Republic News Agency ot the Iranian General Staff (either way, propaganda units of the dictatorship by Mullah):

Cannon Fodder at Sea

Describing presence of the US Army in Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Sea of Oman as disrupting regional security, the statement said that Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz as main international waterways and lifeline of global economy have always been safe zones for oil and trade ships and Iran has tried to maintain the stability and peace at an acceptable level in cooperation with regional states.

Dangerous and disruptive measures against shipping security began when the adventurous and terrorist country of the United States and some of its allies appeared in this sensitive region, it said.

General Staff of the Armed Forces pointed out that the US has virtually become a source of lawlessness, wickedness and insecurity with its harmful commutation and setting up military bases, and Iran has repeatedly warned the world and international community of the destabilizing and disruptive regional security measures as well as US violation of international law.

The year 2019 can be considered the peak of evil and insecure US movements in the region, the statement said, noting that under the false pretext of shipping security in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of ​​Oman, it has formed multiple coalitions in the region and posed numerous threats by sending warships and increasing the buildup of the military forces in the region.

Well! how does it feel to have that kind of smack talked about the USA put out into the world media stream?

For me, I'm beginning to think somewhere in one of those propaganda units there's some guy with a wicked sense of humor who is managing to poke fun at the irrationality of the Iranian regime while ticking off boxes on some "list of charges to make against those Yankees" that is posted on a wall chart in a room where this stuff is prepared. 

Imagine you were the lackey charged with writing this gibberish and knowing certain keywords would be required to get it approved by the super-lackey you work for and on up the food chain. Thus, choose one word from column A and one from column B and one from column C and you end up with "lawlessness," "wickedness," and "insecurity" coupled with words from the "use these in case of emergency" pile. You then have:

lawlessness, wickedness and insecurity with its harmful commutation and setting up military bases

Oh my gosh, those horrible Americans and their nasty "commutation."

I mean, I haven't commutated today, but there's always tomorrow when I may just go around commutating everywhere. I don't know, it may all be part of being both "adventurous" and "terrorist" while disrupting that glorious form of "regional security" that would exist under the Mullahs, just as it does in Iran.

I found the highlighted words particularly awesome.

Nice job, unknown IRNA/Iranian General Staff of the Armed Forces writer, one of the better humor pieces I've read today. Well done!

Not quite as humorous, except for the last paragraph, from Mehr News:

Therefore, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the presence of the United States and its allies illegitimate and the source of evil and insecurity in the region. The Iranian Armed forces also urge them to comply with the regulations of the Islamic Republic as well as the International laws and refrain from any adventure and dangerous behavior in the region.

The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly believes that regional countries have the necessary capabilities to maintain the security of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Sea of ​​Oman. Fake coalitions led by the United States not only do not help maintain stability and security in the region but also disrupt regional order and peace. On the other hand, the only safe alternative to stabilize peace is the withdrawal of US troops and their allies from the region.

The Iranian Armed forces urge the US and their allies to stop the spread of tension and insecurity in this strategic region of the world and strongly warns them to comply with the International regulations while crossing the exclusive economic waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman as well as the airspace of these regions including FIR and ADIZ.

As has been repeatedly stated, the Islamic Republic of Iran has not and will not initiate any tensions and conflicts in the region, but it will always defend its territorial integrity with readiness, strength, and power, and it is obvious that any adventure and provocative actions will be responded strongly by the Iranian Armed Forces.

Fun with Iran: Revolutionary Guard Navy Edition #401

From the U.S. Fifth Fleet, examples of Iran IRGCN trying to provoke an incident so they can claim victimhood and steer the average Iranian away from hating the mullahs'dictatorship:

Why #401? They so often do this sort of thing that I decided to arbitrarily assign a number ...

The President Says, "AMF" Middle East

Way back in the day, leaving unpleasant things like the Vietnam War, a common military parting shot was "AMF" (you can look up it meaning all by yourselves).

In this interesting piece by Roger Kimball in Spectator USA, Mr. Kimball puts it more a more refined manner:

On the world stage, Iran is a bit player, especially now that the United States does not need Middle Eastern oil. Really, Iran is an exotic curiosity, a country with a magnificent past that has been captive of an insane theocratic ideology for the past 40 years. Iran is not the staging ground of World War III, just a brutal and pathetic backwater.
***
The third take away concerns Donald Trump and his legacy. In acting decisively in response to the sighting of Soleimani and his henchman, in acting with caution and deliberation in response to Iran’s calculatedly feeble response, President Trump has showed both that you attack the United States or its people at your peril and that America is getting out of the nation-building neocon regime-change business.

The elimination of Soleimani was not a prelude to deeper US involvement in the Middle East. It was a farewell letter. Always admitting the fickleness of contingency, it nonetheless looks as though Donald Trump will go down as the man who catalyzed the United States economy, who brought unemployment down to historic lows, who goosed real wages, especially at the lower levels, who made important inroads against the stultifying miasma of the the regulatory state while also resuscitating the US military, curbing illegal immigration, and — just now — extricating the United States from foreign involvements that help no one but our enemies.

So, Middle East, it's not us, it's you, so enjoy yourselves in your regional squabbles, but if you mess with us again, it will be like that Toby Keith song:



Next time we won't be coming back to pick up the pieces.

We have more important matters to attend to.

AMF!

2019 Iran Military Power Report from the Defense Intelligence Agency

2019 Iran Military Power Report



Link to a pdf version of the report here.

From the Preface:

Throughout its 40-year history, the Islamic Republic of Iran has remained implacably opposed to the United States, our presence in the Middle East, and our support to Israel. While attempting to strengthen its deterrence against foreign attack and influence, Tehran has committed itself to becoming the dominant power in the turbulent and strategic Middle East. Its ambitions and identity as a largely Persian Shia power in a region composed of primarily Arab Sunni states often put it at odds with its neighbors, most of
which look to the United States and the West to guarantee their security.

Iran sees itself as closer than ever to achieving its goals. Tehran has played the cards dealt it by the fall of Saddam, the uprising in Syria, the rise and retreat of ISIS, and the conflict in Yemen. It leads a cohesive if informal bloc of Shia and Alawi state and nonstate actors—its “Axis of Resistance” against the West. Meanwhile, a perception that the United States is disinterested and disengaged pervades the region.

By applying a rigorous lessons-learned process during decades of conflict in the Middle East, Iran has adapted its military capabilities and doctrine to account for developments by the United States and its allies. Although still technologically inferior to most of its competitors, the Iranian military has progressed
substantially over the past few decades.

To achieve its goals, Iran continues to rely on its unconventional warfare elements and asymmetric capabilities— intended to exploit the perceived weaknesses of a superior adversary—to provide deterrence and project power. This combination of lethal conventional capabilities and proxy forces poses a persistent threat. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force leads Iranian power projection through a complex network of state and nonstate partners and militant proxies. Iran’s conventional military emphasizes niche capabilities and guerilla style tactics against its technologically advanced adversaries. Its substantial arsenal of ballistic missiles is designed to overwhelm U.S. forces and our partners in the region. Its swarms of small boats, large inventory of naval mines, and arsenal of antiship missiles can severely disrupt maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz—a strategic chokepoint critical to global trade. Each of these forces are becoming increasingly survivable, precise, and responsive.

In more recent years, with the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, Iran has taken nascent steps toward developing a limited expeditionary capability. Iran’s conventional forces are now in the regional power projection game as well. At the same time, modern conventional capabilities will be open to Iran for the first time since the revolution, as the UN arms embargo is scheduled to end by October 2020. With these opportunities, we could begin to see significant changes in Iranian strategy and capabilities, as Iran becomes a more traditional military force.

As Tehran expands its capabilities and role as both an unconventional and conventional threat in the Middle East, it is more important than ever that we understand Iran’s military power and the threat it poses to our interests, our allies, and our own security.

Strait of Hormuz: U.S. Marines on Merchant Ships Providing Security

Reported as Marines Embark Merchant Vessel to Provide Security in Strait of Hormuz Transit:

STRAIT OF HORMUZ (NNS) -- Marines and Sailors deployed with

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tanner A. Gerst/Released)

Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, Central Command (FASTCENT) Company, assigned to Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (TF 51/5th MEB), embarked on a Military Sealift Command time chartered vessel in the Arabian Gulf to provide security during a Strait of Hormuz transit Oct. 21.

Task Force 51/5th MEB has a myriad of inherently maneuverable assets that offer commanders the ability to flexibly respond to a wide variety of missions and contingencies, and that are capable of being rapidly deployed. Specifically, FASTCENT Marines work with U.S. partners and allies to protect personnel and property while simultaneously ensuring freedom of navigation in international waterways.

"A strong U.S. presence in the Gulf region is both a deterrent to any potential adversaries who may have an interest in disrupting the maritime domain or using the seas for nefarious purposes, as well as a force to reassure allies, and partners of the United States' commitment to ensuring the free flow of commerce throughout the region," said Brigadier Gen. Matthew Trollinger, Commander of Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

Marines with FASTCENT Company have a history of performing a wide variety of missions and contingencies related to deterring, detecting, mitigating, and defending vital naval and national assets against terrorism since its activation in 1986.

"The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps has and will continue to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region. This includes routine escorting and embarking on U.S. flagged vessels transiting through the region," said Vice Adm. Jim Malloy, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet.

TF 51/5th MEB is entrusted with rapidly aggregating crisis response capabilities and positioning Navy and Marine Corps forces throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to ensure command and control of forces at sea, from the sea, and ashore.

"We are focused on maintaining strong defenses and exposing nefarious actors. We are not seeking conflict, but we will be prepared to defend ourselves and respond to attacks on U.S. forces and our interests," said Malloy.

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 21 August - 25 September 2019 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/SOUTHEAST ASIA Weekly Piracy Update for 19 -25 September 2019

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea on Scribd

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea on Scribd

"No War for Oil" Needed - Thanks to Fracking

For years here, I have been praising the concept of energy independence for the United States (see, e.g. Energy Wars: Fracking Our Way Ahead):

It's interesting that people who have previously argued that we should not fight "wars for oil" in our own national interest are willing (1) to commit our national forces and dollars to possibly fighting "wars for oil" for the interests of other countries and (2) that people who who are opposed to U.S. fracking on environmental grounds seem to be totally okay with the status quo of pushing environmental damage off to those second and third world countries who are resource rich but not in the protesters back yards - and condemning others in the world to be dependent on the whims of leaders in Russia and other undemocratic countries.
***
It also behooves Europe and Japan that the U.S., Canada and Mexico develop LNG export facilities to allow the export of natural gas to offset the Russian and Iranian power in using the "oil and gas weapon" against Europe.

The U.S. government should be encouraging U.S. companies to help Poland to explore its shale gas reserves as an offset to the Russians. While the estimated levels of Polish shale gas are fluctuating, there is gas there and it is both Polish and European interests to develop it.

It's not just the U.S. that has the potential to be "sitting pretty" as a result of the the shale boom.

You don't want to fight Iran for attacking Saudi Arabia?

Fine, continue to use the our oil and gas production to continue to inflict economic damage on the Iranians - our crude and NG is perfectly fungible for what Iran produces. The world will little note nor long remember what Iran and its surrogates are trying to do by disrupting the energy flow from the Arabian Gulf. Iran has gone to this well before, but this time the world has moved on from total reliance on Middle East oil and gas. The U.S. can be entirely energy independent of the Middle East.

In fact, it occurs to me that without the infusion of cash from the Obama Administration's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal with Iran, Iran would be soon be running on empty.

It is also worth noting that due to the wonders of its socialist dictatorship, Venezuela's oil production is not really a factor in the world market right now. If that situation could be reversed, the importance of Middle East energy supplies diminishes even further.

We just need to ride this out.

Oh, and build more nuclear power plants.

In the meantime, it seems demand for product is on a downward trend:

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) for 7 August - 11 September 2019 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/SOUTHEAST ASIA Weekly Piracy Update for 5 -11 September 2019

Note the continued warning of hazards in the waters off the Arabian peninsula, including waters near to Iran and the Iranian surrogates in Yemen. Hazards include GPS spoofing.

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea on Scribd

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea on Scribd

Not So Subtle -- "Let's Send a Message in the Strait of Hormuz"

Prepared to counter potential small boat swarms when transiting near a minor annoyance:

STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Aug. 12, 2019) An AH-1Z Viper helicopter attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) takes off during a strait transit aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4). The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th MEU are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the Western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dalton S. Swanbeck/Released)STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Aug. 12, 2019) 

You might note that "manned mobile gun platform" on the elevator behind the helicopters.