VLCC Jaya Performed AIS and GNSS spoofing

Summary:

According to Lloyd’s List analysis from June 5, 2025, US-sanctioned VLCC Jaya smuggled Iranian oil into China earlier this year. The sanctioned ship employed a range of deceptive tactics to evade detection. These included repeatedly altering its name and MMSI numbers, assuming the identity of a decommissioned vessel, and broadcasting false positional data through AIS and GNSS spoofing to appear as multiple ships. This significantly obstructed monitoring efforts by authorities and analysts. Despite heightened international sanctions and surveillance, satellite imagery and port records confirmed that Jaya, operating under the aliases Quasar and Assos, successfully delivered Iranian crude to a major Chinese port, illustrating the growing sophistication of maritime sanction evasion strategies.

Reference URL

https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1153764/US-blocked-VLCC-Jaya-skirts-sanctions-with-scrapped-ship-masquerade