Three days after running aground off the coast of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the 7,000 TEU container ship MSC Antonia remains stranded in the Red Sea.
Maritime tracking data indicates the vessel likely fell victim to GPS spoofing, which is an increasingly common cyber threat in the region.
According to maritime intelligence firm Windward, analysis of vessel movements revealed clear spoofing patterns that led the ship to run aground near the Eliza Shoals, west of Jeddah. Tracking data from MarineTraffic corroborates this theory.
The Red Sea has become a hotspot for GPS jamming and spoofing in recent years, posing serious navigational hazards for commercial shipping.
The container vessel MSC Antonia, built in 2009, previously drew attention in August 2024 after losing several containers during a storm off the coast of South Africa.