Photo: VCG

Some hostile foreign forces use sea buoys as “spying devices” to collect sensitive ocean data, attempting to steal sensitive marine data from China. Military, dual-use and research buoys are commonly used for covert data collection, China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) said in a post on its official WeChat account on Saturday.

A marine buoy is a type of ocean observation device primarily used to monitor hydrology, water quality, and weather data. It provides valuable support to marine scientific research, offshore oil and gas exploitation and national defense.

Marine buoys come in various forms. They are inexpensive, highly mobile and can be deployed from the air, surface or underwater. However, some external forces deploy them as “secret sentinels” in the ocean depths. The article lists three main categories.

Marine military buoys are an integral part of a certain country’s anti-submarine warfare arsenal, the MSS article said. These buoys come in several subtypes and can be deployed individually or combined for specific mission needs. They are widely deployed to target areas via surface ships, anti-submarine helicopters and anti-submarine patrol aircraft and can operate at depths of several hundred meters.

Dual-use buoys can serve both military and civilian purposes, differing in the accuracy and types of sensors they use for data collection. Data usage is a key indicator of whether these buoys are used for intelligence purposes, according to the MSS.

Search buoys are particularly misleading and are often confused with normal marine search buoys. Some countries use the guise of international marine monitoring organizations to develop specialized buoys that are mixed with real research buoys and deploy them in China’s sensitive marine areas through legitimate channels, using a facade of legitimacy to extract data, the ministry revealed.

The MSS notes that identifying the spying capabilities of marine buoys requires specialized oceanographic expertise and detection technology beyond general observation.

To distinguish whether suspected buoys are intended for espionage purposes, three critical factors must be considered: the source, intended purpose and destination of the data, the ministry said.

Safeguarding national security requires broad public participation. For buoys that cannot be identified or suspected of being of foreign origin, the public should promptly report it via the national security hotline and online reporting platform, the ministry said.

When conditions permit and personal safety is not threatened, suspect buoys can be recovered and safely transferred to state security agencies. These actions are eligible for awards under national security regulations, according to the MSS.

World Time