Liaowang-1: Chinaʻs new spy ship

🚨ALERTE INFO

Ce navire chinois, opérant près du golfe d'Oman, pourrait fournir un soutien en matière de renseignement à l'Iran en temps réel !

Le navire s'appelle Liaowang-1.
C'est un bâtiment de renseignement électronique naval de pointe, conçu pour collecter et analyser des… pic.twitter.com/RcTGhmXHYT— Tribune Populaire🌐 (@TribunePop23) March 8, 2026

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The Chinese intelligence-gathering vessel "Liaowang-1" is currently sailing off the coast of Oman.pic.twitter.com/y4t15WSt91

— China Now (@ChinaNow24) March 8, 2026

Chinese Intelligence Ship “Liaowang-1” is supposed to be spotted near Oman

But according VesselFinder, the ship is anchored in China

From GreyDynamics

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) deployed the Liaowang-1, its newest maritime space tracking and intelligence vessel.
It marks both a technological leap forward for the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) naval capabilities as well as a strategic assertion of Chinese interests in space and naval domains.
The Liaowang-1 is designed to monitor military satellites, track missile launches, and function as a mobile command and control (C2) centre for space and naval operations.
This new class of tracking ships will replace the Yuan Wang-class ships, which have been in service since 1977.
[source]

In recent years, Beijing has been actively investing in its fleet and now constitutes the world’s largest Navy in terms of total ship count.
The deployment of the Liaowang-1 happens amid US efforts to enhance their space capabilities by deploying 160 satellites into space by the end of 2025.
[source, source]

 

 

Image of the Liaowang-1 ship.
[Image source]

1 History of the Project

The Liaowang-1 is a component of China’s larger space and military development goals.
Beijing is gradually replacing the outdated Yuan Wang-class ships–in service since the late 1970s–with the new ships.
Liaowang-1, is constructed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), and is the result of decades of advancements in space tracking and maritime surveillance technologies.
Amid rising international tensions and China’s growing emphasis on fusing the space and marine domains for strategic benefit, the ship was officially launched in 2023.
Its advanced capabilities embody the trend towards a tighter integration of space operations with naval activities.
[source, source]
 

1.1 What is a Tracking Ship?

A tracking ship is an intelligence collection vessel that is equipped with antennas and electronic systems to track missile launches (including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)), rockets, and satellites.
As missiles and satellites often cross vast oceanic areas, tracking ships extend the reach of land-based radar by overcoming geographic and curvature limitations.
Equipped with sophisticated sensors, these ships collect telemetry data, monitor trajectories, and provide real-time C2 support for military operations.
They can also enhance electronic intelligence (ELINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities by gathering information on adversary communications and radar emissions.
[source]
 

2 Technical Data

Many of the technical parameters of the Liaowang-1 are unknown to the public, however, available information suggest the following characteristics: Displacement: 30,000 tons
Length: 224 meters
Beam: 32 meters
Equipment: At least five (visible) radar domes with high and low-range radars, high-gain antennas, signal processing systems; likely other sensors, telemetry receivers, and ELINT/SIGINT systems on board.
[source, source]

The ship’s scale and enlarged hull reportedly allow it to host more systems and be more resilient against threats.
Its helipad can support medium-lift helicopters, allowing for better logistics, surveillance, and potential search and rescue capabilities.
With its large displacement, the Liaowang-1 is one of the largest non-combatant ships in the Chinese Navy.
[source]

That said, the specific data about the technology used remains classified.
It is thus difficult to assess how well the ship would perform in a real combat scenario.

 

 

Image of the Liaowang-1 ship.
[Image source]

3 Mission

As a tracking ship, the Liaowang-1’s mission scenario will likely involve the provision of a mobile, sea-based platform to track satellites, missiles, ICBMs, and other space assets in real-time.
Given the geopolitical tensions between the PRC and the US in the South China Sea and the Pacific, this vessel can be a counterbalance to Washington’s increasing space assets and its upcoming Golden Dome missile defense project.
[source]

The ship’s sophisticated sensors will allow it to enhance PLAN’s situational awareness and surveillance in international waters, beyond the coverage of its mainland stations.
By acting as a C2 node for Beijing’s military, it can facilitate electronic warfare and anti-satellite (ASAT) operations and potentially collect acoustic and electromagnetic data.
[source, source]

Equally important, this forward-deployed intelligence asset serves as a dominant tool for strategic power projection and Beijing’s determination to contest its adversaries far beyond its own borders.

 

 

Image of the Liaowang-1 ship.
[Image source]

3.1 Role in China’s Maritime Strategy

China’s current maritime strategy is transitioning away from its previously near-coastal focus to a more assertive posture.
This allows the PLAN to operate further away from its territorial waters to defend its global interests, access to resources, and foreign markets.
Beijing seeks to build a blue-water navy to operate far from its borders for economic and geopolitical advantages.
[source]

The Liaowang-1 can support this strategy by enhancing PLAN’s capabilities to protect critical infrastructure and secure key chokepoints.
Its Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities allow the PRC to build out its integrated anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) area and challenge US dominance, particularly around Taiwan and in the wider region of the South China Sea.

 

 

Emblem of the PLAN.

4 Conclusion

The Liaowang-1 signals Beijing’s intent to be a key player in maritime and space domains, further enhancing its growing intelligence capabilities.
As a mobile space surveillance platform, it can help monitor US satellites and missile launches, providing a strategic edge in a potential conflict.

The ship is part of China’s broader maritime strategy to project power globally and integrate space and naval assets into its defense components.
Additionally, it portrays the growing importance of multi-domain warfare, where domains such as space and sea grow more intertwined and complex.

Links :

• OneIndia : Chinese Spy Ship Liaowang-1 Spotted Near Oman: Why Its Presence Near Oman Is Concerning For US Military
• Shanaka Anslem Perera : The Invisible Siege: How Insurance Markets, Not Missiles, Closed the Strait of Hormuz 

GPS jamming: the invisible battle in the Middle East

Windward
GPS jamming is making ships near the Iranian coast appear to be on land

From BBC by Chris Baraniuk

Hundreds and hundreds of ships. But they're all in the wrong place. 

"Oh my goodness," says Michelle Wiese Bockmann, senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward, a maritime AI company, as she checks the live positions broadcast by commercial vessels in waters off Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
"I'm up to… 35 different clusters," she says, looking at a map of the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas.

The clusters she mentions are weird circles of icons layered over the map, with each icon representing a real ship.

But ships don't bunch together in tight, unnaturally perfect circles.

And they also don't hover over land – which is where some of the clusters appear.

No, their GPS coordinates have been disrupted, obfuscating their true location.

AFP via Getty Images
Jamming in the Gulf has interfered with the system used by ships to avoid collision

Wars are not just fought with bullets and bombs.

Electromagnetic waves also do battle. Invisible to the naked eye, GPS jamming can cause significant disruption, hampered communications – and potentially deadly accidents.

In recent years, GPS jamming has affected aircraft in Europe, including a plane used by the President of the European Commission. And it is a daily feature of the war in Ukraine.

Now that conflict has erupted in the Middle East, electronic warfare is spilling over yet more territory.

The interference currently affecting ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz is far from the first time that Bockmann has observed GPS jamming impacting vessels' Automatic Identification Systems (AIS).

The same thing happened in this region last year during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, and electronic interference has also troubled vessel navigators in the Baltic Sea.

But, she says, "This is next-level."
"We can't over-estimate the huge danger this places to maritime navigation and safety," adds Bockmann. The National Hydrographic Office Pakistan has also warned about interference affecting shipping in the region.

Ships use AIS partly to avoid one another.

 

It takes a long time for a 300m-long tanker carrying hundreds of thousands of tonnes of oil to turn or come to a stop – and vessels can travel potentially many kilometres before they fully adjust their course.

If you can't be sure about where nearby vessels are, the risk of a collision goes up, especially at night or in poor visibility.
"That's the problem," says Alan Woodward at the University of Surrey. 

"Not you knowing where you're going – it's not knowing where everybody else is going."

There is no official confirmation as to who is behind the jamming but military analysts strongly suspect Iran of causing disruption to vessels.

Iran has also threatened to attack any ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or GPS jamming tools used by Iran are likely to be domestically produced or made with equipment sourced from Russia or China, says Thomas Withington, associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank.
He also suggests that US forces in the region are using jamming systems to protect their bases, personnel and vessels from drones and GNSS-guided weapons.

When approached, the US Department of War told the BBC: "Due to operations security we are not going to comment on the status of specific capabilities in the region."

 

Zephr.xyz
Sean Gorman has used various techniques to detect GPS jamming

Sean Gorman is co-founder of tech company Zephr.xyz, which has analysed the extent of jamming in countries including Ukraine.

Data from aircraft can reveal when GPS jamming is happening but with the airspace over Iran now closed, Gorman has had to find other sources.

In recent days, he used radar data from a satellite to detect jamming in Iran.

While the BBC has not independently verified this data, Gorman says that jamming devices leave a trace of the interference they cause in radar signals, allowing him to reveal occurrences of GPS-jamming around the country.

In 2024, he and colleagues used smartphones strapped to drones to study GPS jamming in Ukraine.

 

The drones would fly around while the smartphones recorded GPS information – picking up interference that could then be plotted on a map. 

"We were looking at the [GNSS] measurements of all those phones," he explains. 

"You could triangulate to where the jammer was located."
"I was just amazed [at] the level of jamming and how powerful it is," says Gorman.

There are various technologies that offer to protect against GPS jamming.

Mitigating the problem can include automatically detecting jamming or interference and switching to unaffected frequencies, for example.

Defence giant Raytheon UK makes a device called Landshield, which is about the size of an ice hockey puck in its smallest form.

The company says this "anti-jam antenna system" can be installed on different kinds of vehicles – from cars to aircraft – and that it uses multiple channels to overcome jamming.

"We're seeing quite an increase in demand and capacity for our anti-jamming products at the moment," says Alex Rose-Parfitt, engineering director of Raytheon UK.

Hormuz GPS disruption continues

GPS interference in and around the Strait of Hormuz has continued to rise since the crisis began, suggesting a persistent and geographically dispersed campaign of electronic disruption. This interference is triggering false AIS positioning,… pic.twitter.com/VXiaxHwFat

— Kpler (@Kpler) March 16, 2026

Other companies have developed navigation tools that work around GPS's flaws.

Advanced Navigation, an Australia-based firm, has come up with a system that can determine a vehicle's position based on readings from gyroscopes and accelerometers – the same kind of devices that your smartphone uses to detect when it has been turned sideways, for instance.

As for working out one's geographic position, though, Chris Shaw, co-founder and chief executive of Advanced Navigation, says his firm's tech can use alternatives when GPS proves unavailable or unreliable.

This includes matching optical imagery of one's location to satellite imagery, or even through computer-based analysis of the position of stars overhead.

"The image processing is very advanced," says Shaw.

"Doing something like… star-mapping is very inexpensive."

Though, he adds, "It's just not very accurate."

That is why multiple forms of location and position analysis might be necessary.

Advanced Navigation
Advanced Navigation is working on alternative tech to GPS

Without better protection, GPS will likely remain vulnerable in its current form.

Crucially, the signals used by GPS-based systems are very weak and therefore easy to jam

 It's worth noting that militaries have access to "M-Code" GPS, is a carefully authenticated and encrypted form of the technology that is far more resistant to jamming.

Ramsey Faragher, director of the Royal Institute for Navigation, says that GPS jamming in the waters off Iran raises the risk of a maritime accident.

He predicts that the growing prevalence of jamming could lead to the introduction of more secure alternatives.

Similar to the gradual move from wi-fi networks that were once completely open and publicly accessible, to the password-protected networks of today.

"Soon, we will look back on this era where we are using open GNSS signals and think, 'God, we were mad, that was really not a smart move'," he says.

 

Links :

• The Shipping brief : We saw warning signs in Hormuz last June 

Data readiness for S-100: the ports' perspective

From UKHO  

Ports face growing pressure from larger ships, busier channels, and changing navigation demands.
Higher-resolution S-100-ready data can improve safety, efficiency, and coordination — and help ports keep pace with peers already exploring these capabilities.

Multibeam bathymetry in the Solent.
Gaps in coverage are clearly visible on the left- and right-hand sides. 

 

Preparing for changing data expectations

Ports are operating within increasing constraints.
Vessels are getting larger.
Traffic density is increasing.
Many approaches and navigation channels are dredged, tidally constrained, or both.
At the same time, ports are under pressure to improve efficiency, reduce delays and maintain safety margins, often within the same physical footprint.

Against this backdrop, digital navigation is evolving.
The industry is beginning to move away from static, generalised representations of the seabed towards higher-resolution, layered S-100 standards.
These can support better situational awareness and more informed decision-making.

As digital navigation evolves, an important question emerges: is port data detailed enough to support what modern systems are beginning to ask of it?

This matters, not just because of emerging standards or S-100 timelines, but also because data quality increasingly underpins how constrained water space is used, managed, and shared.

The move towards S-100 is often discussed in terms of standards, systems, and timelines.
But beneath that sits a more fundamental change: rising expectations of source data.

Sea trials and early implementations have highlighted that legacy survey data — while entirely fit for traditional charting — may not always support emerging high-resolution digital layers when these are displayed or combined in new ways.
In particular, limitations become apparent where coarse bathymetric data is asked to coexist with finer-scale environmental or operational information.

This is not about data being ‘wrong’ or ‘outdated.’ 

It is about new use cases placing different demands on data density and consistency.

For certain S-100 data layers, particularly those concerned with bathymetry, this means higher-resolution seabed data is a prerequisite.

High-fidelity bathymetric survey from multibeam echosounding (showing prominent coverage gap) of the Solent, UK. 

 

What does S-100-ready bathymetric data mean in practice?

For ports, the conversation often comes down to resolution.

While requirements will vary by location and use case, discussions increasingly reference bathymetric data capable of supporting visualisation at around 2 metres per pixel.
Achieving this level of detail is typically only possible using multibeam echosounding, particularly in areas where precise under-keel clearance or navigable limits are critical.

This represents a significant change from some historic survey approaches, and it is important to acknowledge that:

• The scale of the task can be significant
• Survey planning, prioritisation, and cost all matter
• Not every area needs the same level of detail

However, for some ports, particularly those on primary shipping routes or handling large vessels, this level of survey capability is often already within reach; or aligns closely with existing or planned survey activity.

Crucially, higher-resolution bathymetric data is not an ‘extra’ for S-100.
For some layers, it is a foundational requirement.

Why S-100 makes sense for ports

From a port perspective, investing in collecting higher-quality, S-100-ready source data is not primarily about compliance.
It is about control, resilience, and alignment with how port operations are evolving.

Greater confidence over constrained water space

More precise bathymetric data can give ports greater confidence in how limited navigable water is used, particularly in dredged, tidal, or heavily trafficked waterways.
In some contexts, this could support more informed decisions about navigable tidal and cargo windows, vessel movements, and safety margins, helping to reduce the risk of groundings or costly channel blockages.

S-101 ENC of Isle of Wight area with S-102 and S-111data layers applied. 

 

Improved operational resilience

Busy ports increasingly depend on a wide range of information — from infrastructure and traffic to environmental conditions and local navigation features — to manage daily operations.
At present, this information is typically spread across multiple systems or held by individuals and is not always visualised together.
A common S-100 framework offers a way to integrate these data layers more consistently, which could support enhanced situational awareness in both routine operations and periods of disruption.

Alignment with emerging operational practices

Ports, vessel operators and charterers are already working together on practices such as just-in-time arrival, speed optimisation, and collaborative port call planning.
Higher-quality, standardised data strengthens this collaboration, supporting more confident and coordinated decision-making across the port call ecosystem.

Reduced friction across the port call ecosystem

Using a common data framework can help improve shared understanding between ports, ship operators, terminal operators, and charter parties.
While outcomes will vary, greater clarity, coordination, and predictability can help ports avoid unnecessary delays, operational disruptions, and costly disputes, particularly when conditions change.

Why act now?

Implementing higher-resolution, S-100-ready surveys is not a quick or simple task, but it is a strategic investment in risk management, operational resilience, and long-term readiness.
Targeted efforts — for example, focusing on primary navigation channels or high-traffic areas — make the work manageable while reducing exposure to delays, operational disruptions, and costly disputes.

Acting now also positions ports to align with emerging practices such as just-in-time arrivals and improved coordination across the port call ecosystem.
Ports that take early steps can maintain control over constrained waterways and stay on par with peers already exploring these capabilities, such as the Port of London. 

“For ports, the real potential of S-100 lies in how it connects high-quality survey data to everyday operational decisions: it will enable us to maximise efficiency by demonstrating where under-keel clearance margins really sit.
At the Port of London, that starts with high accuracy and high fidelity multibeam echosounder surveys.
The level of detail they provide isn’t about producing ‘better charts’ for their own sake; it’s about having the confidence to support safer, more flexible use of constrained water space to maximise cargo and tidal windows.
Without that survey resolution, the promise of S-100 simply can’t be realised.”
David Parker, Hydrographer of the Port of London

What higher-quality data could enable over time

Before looking ahead, it’s worth noting that improvements in data quality have already delivered tangible benefits through the evolution of Electronic Navigational Charts.
The move towards higher-density ENCs has shown how more detailed, consistent source data can improve clarity, usability, and confidence for mariners operating in complex port environments.

Next-generation S-101 ENCs, for example, build on this foundation by supporting improved symbology, richer attribution, and greater consistency across data layers.
This will help mariners interpret port environments more clearly and reliably.
These developments illustrate an important point: richer outcomes begin with richer data.

Where the necessary data foundations are in place, S-100-based products have the potential to support a range of positive operational outcomes for ports and their users.

These may include: 

• Dynamic under-keel clearance  

Could open additional navigable water or extend navigable windows in dredged or tidally constrained channels.

• Larger vessel tolerances 

Could support more confident decision-making for deep-draft or heavily laden vessels.

• Optimised cargo loading 

Improved UKC intelligence could allow vessels to make fuller use of available clearance.
For illustration, initial calculations suggest that for a typical 400-metre container vessel, every additional 10 cm of under-keel clearance could equate to approximately 97 additional TEU — subject to local conditions and operational constraints.

• Port call optimisation 

This could include just-in-time arrival, speed optimisation, and weather-informed routing.

• Reduced idle time and delays 

Could be realised through better sharing of ETA, berth availability, weather, and readiness data.

• Fewer disputes linked to laytime and demurrage 

Where shared, trusted data could provide clearer evidence of conditions and constraints.

• Enhanced Master–Pilot exchange 

Could be supported by a more consistent and information-rich view of the port environment.

• Autonomous vessels 

Looking further ahead, the S-100 framework’s layered, interoperable data model is expected to underpin future capabilities such as autonomous navigation and enhanced digital port-to-ship services.

None of these outcomes are automatic.

They depend on local context, governance and how data is used.
But they all rely on having the right data in place first.

In future, specifications such as S-131 Marine Harbour Infrastructure are expected to describe detailed port facility layouts and services — supporting richer harbour information alongside bathymetry and dynamic environmental layers to enhance berth-to-berth planning and operational awareness.

Continuing the conversation on data readiness

S-100 is not an overnight change; it is a long-term transition but preparing for it begins with understanding data readiness today.

What bathymetric data is already held?
Where is it sufficiently detailed — and where might it not be?
How well would it support emerging S-100 layers and use cases?

For ports, maintaining control over increasingly constrained waters ultimately comes back to a conversation about higher-quality data.

Doing so positions them to seize emerging opportunities in digital navigation and keep pace with leading ports that are already preparing.

 

Links :

• IHO : The S-100 framework is now operational
• Hydro : New milestone for S-100 ecosystem as Phase 1 enters into force 
• GeoGarage blog : From-s57 to s-100 charting a smarter future for shipping / s-100 / S-101: the next generation of Electronic Navigational ...

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