Automatic Identification System (AIS) spoofing is becoming more and more frequent as bad actors evolve and find new ways to circumvent and evade sanctions.

Geopolitical tensions are at their highest since the Cold War, with Europe experiencing its first war since World War II. Sanctions have become a key foreign policy tool used by multiple governments to influence behaviour.

Numerous advisory groups have pointed to the evolution of deceptive shipping practices as posing a significant threat to maritime safety, security and sanctions enforcement.

AIS spoofing – defined as a vessel deliberately falsifying its positional data to conceal its true location and possible illicit activity – is particularly insidious, and increased by over 50% between 2022 and 2023.

In an April 2023 alert, OFAC raised concerns about the rise in AIS spoofing, and emphasised the importance of using advanced tracking services to detect spoofing.

This whitepaper demonstrates how Seasearcher Advanced Risk & Compliance dynamically leverages machine-learning models and proprietary terrestrial AIS networks to quickly and accurately identify spoofed vessel location.

Download the whitepaper to find out how.