MCAD Maritime Cyber Attack Database
Year2025 |
MonthMarch |
Reference number20250331 |
Impact areaVessel |
Incident locationSouth Atlantic, Western Indian Ocean, Northwest Pacific |
Incident countryArgentina, India, Somalia |
Victim countryArgentina, India, Somalia |
Victim identityCoastal states and national fishing industries (Foreign EEZs) |
Victim TypeVessel |
MethodGoing Dark |
Attacker countryChina |
Over 2020-2025 and beyond, Chinese fishing vessels (500+ documented in Argentine waters alone) have systematically employed a coordinated cyber-enabled tactic: deliberate AIS (Automatic Identification System) disabling to conduct illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing in other nations' exclusive economic zones. Vessels transit with AIS transponders active until approaching a target EEZ boundary, then power down the AIS to "go dark," rendering them invisible to maritime domain awareness systems. During periods of AIS darkness (often 24+ hours), Chinese vessels conduct illegal fishing operations using satellite surveillance evasion and flag-hopping tactics. Upon exiting the EEZ, AIS is reactivated, leaving only data gaps detectable by satellite imagery analysis. This pattern represents a profound vulnerability in maritime governance: while AIS provides transparency for 94% of fishing activity, the deliberate 6% gap conceals massive environmental damage (species depletion, ecosystem destruction, ghost fishing), economic loss (West Africa alone loses $2.3 billion annually), and human rights abuses (forced labor, trafficking). The Chinese government subsidizes these fleets (up to 50% of costs) and operates them partly through People's Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM) vessels disguised as commercial fishing. Global Fishing Watch satellite surveillance has documented 55,000+ AIS disabling events (2017-2019 alone), identifying hotspots in Argentina Atlantic, Indian Ocean tuna regions, Somalia, West Africa, and Northwest Pacific. This incident class represents a critical maritime cyber vulnerability—deliberate digital system manipulation enabling international maritime crime and environmental catastrophe.
