Aden (South24) 

The Customs Authority in the Free Zone in Aden announced today the seizure of 11 devices, including ship receivers and monitoring devices, that have strategic uses in the security and defense fields.

A source in the Customs Authority explained, in a statement to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), that the seizures were made during a routine inspection, and included 10 ship receivers and a device for monitoring the wireless spectrum to detect signals.

The source added that these devices are used to analyze radar signals, identify sources of interference and penetration, test aircraft communication systems, and analyze navigation signals, which makes them sensitive and strategic in nature.

The official statement did not clarify the source of these devices and where their final destination was. However, a senior security source in Aden told the ‘South24 Center’ that the devices were destined for the Houthi militia, which has been waging a campaign to target ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait for a year.

One of the photos showed a cardboard box for an AIS Receiver (Cypho-150), manufactured by AMEC, a device used to receive Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals, according to research conducted by South24.

AIS is a maritime communications technology used to exchange information between ships, coastal monitoring stations, and ports, with the aim of improving maritime safety and avoiding collisions.

The system sends and receives data such as, ship position, speed, direction, ship name and other relevant information.