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This week saw eighteen incidents globally, including the Black Sea, Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, Southeast Asia, and Strait of Hormuz. Download the full report here: The HFS Galaxy sustained stern and engine room damage in its attack 9NM east of Oman. (Photo Credit: MarineTraffic) Major Incidents Include: CARIBBEAN SEA Low-Level Property Theft: Maritime security risks remain minimal and strictly limited to opportunistic crime in this region, as is highlighted by

This week saw eight incidents globally, including the Black Sea, Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, Southeast Asia, and Strait of Hormuz. The GOLDEN ARSENAL was successfully boarded in a suspected piracy attack. Major Incidents Include: EUROPE: UAV Campaign Against Energy & Naval Infrastructure: Ukrainian forces executed a series of long-range UAV strikes targeting critical Russian maritime and energy hubs across the Baltic and Black Seas. Attacks successfully hit the S

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reclassified a security incident in the Red Sea as an Illegal Boarding, following further information from the vessel’s master. The incident occurred approximately 76 nautical miles south of Balhaf, Yemen, according to UKMTO Warning 077-26, issued on 1 July 2026. Red Sea illegal boarding UKMTO’s initial update reported that a suspicious small craft had departed from the vessel but remained active in the area, potentially posing a r

This week saw ten Incidents globally, including: Black Sea, Gulf of Oman, Mediterranean, Strait of Hormuz, and Southeast Asia. Download the full report here: Executive Summary Europe Shadow Fleet Seizures & UAV Escalation: France seized a suspected Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea to enforce energy export sanctions. Concurrently, a Russian UAV struck a Turkish-owned, Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier bound for a Ukrainian port in the Black Sea, sparki

This week saw fourteen Incidents globally, including: Black Sea, English Channel, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Southeast Asia. Download the full report here: Executive Summary East Africa Armed Skiff Attacks: Two commercial vessels were fired upon by armed individuals in skiffs using small arms and an RPG in the Gulf of Aden. Both attacks were successfully repelled by onboard armed security teams, resulting in one crew injury. Europe Shadow Fleet Seizures & UAV Escalation: UK

This week saw fourteen Incidents globally, including: Black Sea, Colombian riverways, English Channel, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Southeast Asia. Download the full report here: Executive Summary East Africa Suspicious Approaches: Two separate cargo vessels were approached by small craft carrying armed individuals off the coasts of Somalia and Yemen; both incidents resulted in an exchange of fire before the craft turned away. Europe Seizures & Escalated Strikes: The UK seized

This week saw eighteen maritime security incidents globally, including: Americas , Atlantic, Black Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Oman, Southeast Asia, and the Strait of Hormuz. Download the full report here: Executive Summary Americas Port Fire in Ecuador: Multiple vessels caught fire while located in the port of Manta, Ecuador. Europe Drone & Missile Strikes: UAV and naval drone strikes hit ports in St. Petersburg, Berdiansk, and Constanța. Airb

This week saw fifteen maritime security incidents, with heightened activity in major maritime corridors globally, including: Black Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz. Executive Summary Europe Ukraine Route Struck: Russian air and underwater drones hit five ships, including four foreign cargo vessels bound for Turkey and a vessel inside Odessa Port. Russian Targets Hit: Ukrainian drones struck a ship in occupied Berdyansk

This week saw fifteen maritime security incidents, with heightened activity in major maritime corridors globally, including: Black Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz. Download the full report here: Executive Summary Europe Ukraine Route Struck: Russian air and underwater drones hit five ships, including four foreign cargo vessels bound for Turkey and a vessel inside Odessa Port. Russian Targets Hit: Ukrainian drones stru

Today marks 90 days since the start of the Hormuz Crisis, and as diplomacy stalls, sanctions tighten, and commercial transits collapse to near-zero levels, the risk environment facing energy and shipping operators has never been more complex or consequential. Read the full analysis below. Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in the U

This week saw five maritime security incidents, marked by intensifying U.S. enforcement of the naval blockade of Iran and persistent piracy activity. Download the full report here: Executive Summary Indian Ocean U.S. Blockade Enforcement: U.S. forces continue to actively enforce the naval blockade of Iran in the Indian Ocean. The Botswana-flagged VLCC Skywave was seized off the western Malaysian coast, reportedly carrying over one million barrels of Iranian oil. This marks t

On 19 May 2026, US forces intercepted the VLCC Skywave in the Indian Ocean — the third Iranian-linked tanker seized since the blockade began in April, and the largest yet. Read the full analysis below. Vessel Skywave (Credit: Marine Traffic) The Seizure: What Happened The 302,481 dwt VLCC Skywave (built 2005) was intercepted by US forces in the Indian Ocean on 19 May, west of Malaysia, after transiting the Malacca Strait. According to three US officials cited by the Wall Stre

This week saw fourteen maritime security incidents, with heightened activity in major maritime corridors globally, including: The Singapore Straits, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Oman, Somalia, the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and South America. Download the full report here: Executive Summary Europe Russia launched multiple UAV drone attacks targeting key Ukrainian port infrastructure and residential areas. Ukraine also targeted Russia’s oil terminal on the coast of Kra

This week saw eleven maritime security incidents, with a major escalation in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz. Download the full report here: Executive Summary Indian Ocean State-Actor Interventions & Military Friction: The region is seeing intense naval friction, specifically involving Iranian and U.S. forces. Significant incidents include the seizure of a Barbados-flagged tanker by Iranian commandos and the interception/disabling of multiple Iranian tankers by U.S. for

This week saw ten maritime security incidents, with heightened hijacking activity in the Gulf of Aden and Somalia, alongside persistent piracy threats in the Gulf of Guinea and war spillover in the Black Sea. Download the full report here: Executive Summary East Africa Several suspicious approaches occurred in Yemeni waters, as well as a successful hijacking of an anchored tanker which is now underway towards the Somali Coast. Europe (Black Sea) Ukraine launched three attacks

At the beginning of this month, we published an analysis warning that the global preoccupation with the conflict in the Straight of Hormuz would create a strategic vacuum for opportunistic Somali pirates. That warning has now manifested into a localized crisis. Between April 21 and April 28, 2026, the Indian Ocean witnessed a rapid-fire series of four major Somali piracy events, including two successful hijackings involving the Honour 25 (IMO: 9243320) and another unnamed car

This week saw twelve maritime security incidents, with heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, alongside persistent piracy and armed robbery threats in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Download the full report here: Executive Summary Indian Ocean As tensions rise in the Hormuz, with three vessels being fired upon by IRGC troops and a U.S. seizure of a tanker, opportunistic Somali piracy has risen as well; one vessel has been hijacked, and another boa

On 22 April, two commercial vessels were attacked in close succession in the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting a pattern of deliberate, controlled escalation. Read the full analysis below. Two Ships Attacked in Hormuz The first incident occurred approximately 15 nautical miles off the Musandam Peninsula, where a container ship was approached by an IRGC-linked gunboat. Notably, no communication was initiated via VHF before the gunboat opened fire, causing structural damage to the

This week saw thirteen maritime incidents , with intensified drone and unmanned strikes in the Black Sea and a sharp escalation of enforcement measures and kinetic activity in the Indian Ocean. Download the full report here: Executive Summary Indian Ocean Tensions in the Persian Gulf escalated this week following the implementation of a U.S. naval blockade targeting Iranian-linked maritime traffic. The move introduces a new layer of operational complexity for commercial shipp

United States Navy guided-missil e destroyer Michael Murphy (DDG 112) returning to Pearl Harbor, 2022. Michael Murphy is currently operating in the Persian Gulf. On 13 April 2026 at 14:00 UTC, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) activated a naval blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports. The blockade covers all Iranian ports along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman and is being enforced impartially against vessels of all flags and nationalities. With more