Jane Edwards 
- Pole Star Defense analysts have flagged the need for stronger data integration at USCG and CBP
- Vessel spoofing and AIS tracking gaps have surged fleetwide since early 2025
- The 2026 Homeland Security Summit will examine AI, investigative intelligence and more
Dimitra Sotirchos and Dorina Jordanov of Pole Star Defense said the U.S. Coast Guard needs stronger data integration and a clearer regulatory framework to counter a sharp rise in vessel spoofing and tracking gaps threatening maritime security.
As maritime security threats involving vessel spoofing and tracking evasion continue to challenge agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 10 will bring together government and industry leaders to discuss AI, investigative intelligence, coordination for counter-drone operations, edge capabilities and more. Secure your spot now!
What Is the Enforcement Gap Facing USCG?
In an article published in the July-August 2026 issue of Seapower Magazine, Sotirchos, a maritime intelligence analyst at Pole Star Global and Pole Star Defense, and Jordanov, a product marketing manager at Pole Star Defense, wrote that USCG needs integration of commercial maritime intelligence — including risk scoring and real-time spoofing — into its daily targeting operations, along with a regulatory framework that treats Automatic Identification System, or AIS, manipulation as a serious compliance failure.
They noted that of the 102,075 vessels analyzed, only 1,913 carry High or Very High risk designations under Pole Star’s Maritime Transparency Index, representing less than two percent of the fleet. A targeting system capable of reliably identifying those vessels would allow USCG to direct inspection resources toward vessels that warrant it, rather than cycling through the compliant majority on fixed schedules.
CBP plays a complementary role in this framework, the authors wrote, with its focus on cargo tracking and trade and sanctions compliance rather than vessel inspection. They noted that USCG and CBP form the core domestic structure for spotting and responding to high-risk maritime activity at U.S. ports.
What Do the Spoofing & AIS Gap Data Show?
The analysis drew on three datasets covering 102,075 vessels, 266,119 AIS gap events and 280,123 spoofing incidents.
- Spoofing incidents have accelerated sharply since early 2025, rising from a stable daily average below 200 between 2022 and mid-2024 to regularly exceeding 400 daily incidents by 2026, with spikes above 1,100.
- Same Position spoofing, where a vessel broadcasts a fixed false location, accounted for 195,200 incidents, the most common type tracked.
- Invalid or implausible identity number broadcasts accounted for 74,313 incidents, a pattern the authors associated with deliberate identity concealment.
- AIS gap events totaled 266,119 between January and May 2026, with 33,045 lasting more than a week.
Which Regions & Vessel Types Are Most Affected?
Jordanov and Sotirchos wrote that gap and spoofing activity concentrated in strategically sensitive waters and among specific vessel classes. The North Pacific West recorded 75,512 gap events, the highest of any region tracked, followed by the Indian Ocean East at 39,889 and the Mediterranean and European waters at 24,213. The Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf recorded 19,968 gap events, waters that the authors linked to Iranian and Russian oil exports under sanctions.
By vessel type, general cargo ships recorded the most gap events at 56,241, followed by bulk carriers at 38,973, while oil tankers carried the lowest average Maritime Transparency Index score at 3.44, indicating the highest relative risk among vessel classes, followed by chemical tankers at 3.48.
