A Sierra Leone-flagged vessel carrying grain from the Ukrainian port of Reni to Egypt was sailing off the Bulgarian coast on 24 October with its tracking transponder switched off. The vessel’s name has not been disclosed for security reasons, Maritime.bg reports.
During radio contact, Bulgaria’s Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) centre advised the officer on watch to activate the ship’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) to ensure safe navigation in Bulgaria’s territorial waters.
The vessel replied that the system had been switched off at the explicit request of its insurer to reduce risks during the voyage to the Bosphorus.
Commercial vessels in the western Black Sea are increasingly switching off their AIS systems at the request of insurance companies. Others are also using equipment to jam GPS signals, the publication notes, creating safety risks for ships and their crews.
Edited by Ivo Ivanov