by Konstantin 
11 Sep, 2025 Cyber threats to ports and ships: trend 2025
The Baltic under electronic pressure: how GNSS disruptions hit shipping in 2025
Briefly. In the Baltic Sea in 2025, satellite-navigation disruptions have become routine: from GPS jamming to spoofing of vessel positions. Marine insurers report a sharp surge in scale. “From 1 225 vessels in Q1 2025 to over 5 800 in Q2,” notes NorthStandard. This directly affects port approaches and transits of narrow fairways in the Gulf of Finland.
Specific impacts on the fleet. The Finnish Coast Guard reported persistent GNSS disturbances in the Baltic Sea and a new phenomenon — tanker spoofing, where location data were substituted during calls to Russian ports in the St. Petersburg area. This was recorded in roughly ten cases and explained as attempts to circumvent sanctions.
Scale in numbers. According to the marine insurer NorthStandard, the number of vessels affected by interference rose sharply: from about 1 225 in Q1 2025 to over 5 800 in Q2. A significant share was in the Baltic and the Gulf of Finland.
Who is “jamming” and where. Polish researchers have published data detailing Russian GPS-jamming operations in the Baltic region; separate technical analyses point to a Russian electronic-warfare base that correlates with waves of interference experienced by both pilots and ship crews. Moscow denies the allegations.
Official signals from states. Poland has publicly linked widespread GPS disruptions over the Baltic to Russian actions; in Sweden, the sharp rise in incidents is already described as a daily reality affecting maritime traffic.
Why this is especially dangerous for ships. When GNSS is jammed or spoofed, ECDIS, AIS and other bridge systems begin receiving incorrect data, and a ship can unknowingly deviate from a safe track. Maritime associations and P&I clubs are already recording real cases and warning of collision and grounding risks.
Sources: Reuters, FlightGlobal, Defense News, GPS World, NorthStandard, Gard, MarineLink, Polskie Radio.