Full Report
Image: Shutterstock What’s new: A report that the insurance industry is increasingly concerned about the lack of resilient PNT, at least in maritime. Why it’s important: Maritime jamming and spoofing have caused ship collisions, fires, and groundings. Sometimes insurers can influence their customers’ and government behavior more effectively than almost anyone. They have and can wield financial incentives. What else to know: At the moment, the only insurer we know of that has actually done anything is DNK. They issue war-risk insurance to Norwegian vessels. They are offering discounts for their customers who use Iridium PNT to augment GPS. Insurers brace for mega-claims as jamming and spoofing incidents ramp up Deliberate interference with GNSS and merchant ships’ AIS is undermining navigational safety and a growing concern among insurers. Paul Bartlett, Correspondent As the scale and frequency of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) interference continues to increase, navigation experts are warning […]
Analysis Summary
# Industry News: Insurance Sector Drives Adoption of Resilient PNT Amid Global Jamming Crisis
## Summary
The insurance industry is beginning to leverage financial incentives to combat the rising threat of GNSS jamming and spoofing in the maritime sector. Norwegian war-risk insurer DNK has pioneered this trend by offering premium discounts to vessels that augment GPS with resilient PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) solutions, specifically Iridium.
## Key Details
- **Date:** September 30, 2026
- **Companies Involved:** DNK (Den Norske Krigsforsikring for Skib), Iridium Communications
- **Category:** Market Trend / Insurance Policy Innovation
## The Story
Electronic warfare tactics, once confined to combat zones, have migrated into global shipping lanes and maritime chokepoints. Deliberate interference with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) has escalated from a nuisance to a major safety hazard, directly causing ship collisions, groundings, and fires.
As the frequency of these incidents ramps up, the insurance industry—bracing for "mega-claims" resulting from these maritime disasters—is shifting from passive observation to active risk mitigation. DNK, a prominent provider of war-risk insurance, is the first to formalize this by offering financial offsets (discounts) to shipowners who implement redundant, non-GNSS PNT systems. The primary technology being incentivized is Iridium PNT, which serves as a resilient layer to verify or replace compromised GPS data.
## Business Impact
### For the Companies Involved
- **DNK:** Gains a more resilient risk pool, potentially reducing the frequency and severity of claims related to navigational failure.
- **Iridium:** Receives a significant market endorsement and a direct sales driver, as insurance discounts effectively subsidize the cost of their PNT hardware and services.
### For Competitors
- **Traditional Insurers:** May be forced to follow DNK’s lead to avoid being the "insurer of last resort" for high-risk, GPS-only vessels.
- **Alternative PNT Providers:** A new market opens for LEO (Low Earth Orbit) and terrestrial PNT providers to seek "approved" status from insurance underwriters.
### For Customers (Shipowners/Operators)
- **Financial Incentive:** Direct reduction in operating costs (insurance premiums) for those who modernize their bridge systems.
- **Operational Safety:** Increased protection against electronic interference in high-risk zones.
### For the Market
- **Standardization:** This move signals the beginning of resilient PNT moving from a "niche security feature" to a "standard maritime requirement."
## Technical Implications
The focus is on **PNT Diversity**. By moving away from a single point of failure (GNSS), ships utilize LEO-based PNT (like Iridium) which operates on different frequencies and signal strengths, making it significantly harder to jam or spoof simultaneously with traditional GPS.
## Strategic Analysis
- **Market Positioning:** DNK is positioning itself as a tech-forward insurer that manages risk through innovation rather than just premium hikes.
- **Competitive Advantage:** Insurers that mandate or incentivize resilience will likely attract higher-quality fleets, leaving riskier, less-equipped vessels to competitors who will eventually have to raise rates to cover losses.
- **Challenges:** The primary challenge is the slow pace of global maritime regulation compared to the rapid evolution of electronic warfare.
## Industry Reactions
- **Analyst Opinions:** Analysts suggest that the insurance industry may be more effective than government regulation in forcing the adoption of security standards.
- **Market Response:** Growing interest in "sovereign clocks" and LEO-based PNT ecosystems as global supply chain vulnerabilities become more apparent.
## Future Outlook
- **Predictions:** Expect more insurers to roll out "cyber-resiliency" or "PNT-resiliency" riders in the next 12-18 months.
- **What to Watch For:** Watch for whether other LEO providers (like Starlink or Celeste) seek similar insurance-backed incentives for their navigation capabilities.
## For Security Professionals
Cybersecurity practitioners should view PNT not just as a "utility" but as a critical attack surface. The move by insurers to discount resilient systems validates that **signal integrity is a business continuity issue.** Professionals in maritime, logistics, and critical infrastructure should audit their dependence on GNSS and investigate redundant PNT layers before insurance mandates make them a requirement.