GPS Interference Off California Offers Warning for Global Shipping

Capt. James Haley and Dana A. Goward

It was late at night on January 29, 2026. Seven ships approaching the Port of Long Beach from the west keyed their microphones on VHF Channel 14 to report GPS outages to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Vessel Traffic Service (VTS). Aircraft over the Channel Islands reported similar issues via ADS-B, while NOAA CORS sites recorded anomalies in L1 and L2 signal-to-noise ratios—all within the span of an hour.

While spoofing and jamming of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) have become recurring problems in conflict zones, incidents like this demonstrate that no one is immune.