China's Maritime Militia: Chinese Ships ‘Going Dark’ in East China Sea
- 2 years ago
EAST CHINA SEA — A new Chinese data protection law may be causing an increasing number of vessels to switch off tracking systems usually used in maritime transport, according to satellite data from commercial satellite firm Unseen Labs, and the effect could be to help conceal the activities of fishing boats while worsening the current shipping crisis and congestion of ports.
Unseen Labs’ data reveals that up to 80 percent of vessels didn’t broadcast an AIS signal during an eight-day satellite campaign in the East China Sea in November.
The AIS or Automatic Identification System signal transmits a ship’s position to other ships. The U.N.’s International Maritime Organization and other management bodies require large ships to broadcast their position with AIS in order to avoid collisions, according to Global Fishing Watch.
AIS has also become a tool for port management, as explained in an Unseen Labs press release, by “providing information on berth availability and anchorage waiting times among other things.” This, along with the fact that six of the world’s 10 busiest container ports are in China, potentially presents a major obstacle for the international shipping movements.
The new law behind the shift requires all handlers of Chinese data to gain government approval before any transfer of data to foreign countries. Unseen Labs suggests companies may effectively be “playing it safe” by turning off tracking systems before seeing how the new law will be implemented.
Unseen Labs’ data reveals that up to 80 percent of vessels didn’t broadcast an AIS signal during an eight-day satellite campaign in the East China Sea in November.
The AIS or Automatic Identification System signal transmits a ship’s position to other ships. The U.N.’s International Maritime Organization and other management bodies require large ships to broadcast their position with AIS in order to avoid collisions, according to Global Fishing Watch.
AIS has also become a tool for port management, as explained in an Unseen Labs press release, by “providing information on berth availability and anchorage waiting times among other things.” This, along with the fact that six of the world’s 10 busiest container ports are in China, potentially presents a major obstacle for the international shipping movements.
The new law behind the shift requires all handlers of Chinese data to gain government approval before any transfer of data to foreign countries. Unseen Labs suggests companies may effectively be “playing it safe” by turning off tracking systems before seeing how the new law will be implemented.