Dark Port Call

A port visit or cargo operation a vessel conducts with its AIS transponder switched off or transmitting a falsified position, so the call leaves no public track. OFAC’s 14 May 2020 maritime advisory flagged AIS manipulation and disabling as a primary deception practice used to mask trade with sanctioned jurisdictions such as Iran, Syria, and the DPRK. SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19 requires AIS to operate at all times except where the master judges it would compromise the ship’s security; routine disabling falls outside that exception.