Maritime Security Report: 2-9 February 2026

Palaemon Maritime
4 days ago
3 min read

This week incidents spanned West and East Africa, as well as the Northwest Indian Ocean, including new piracy threats, attempted robberies, seizures, and military engagements.

Executive Summary

East Africa: A new Pirate Action Group (PAG) has been spotted near the Duradura Coast, Somalia.
West Africa: An intruder nearly boarded a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel located about 50 km off the Angolan coast.
North Indian Ocean: India and Iran have each been holding several oil tankers for alleged fuel smuggling. Iran also sought to stop the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Imperative, but this did not succeed, given the intervention of a U.S. destroyer. Meanwhile, the United States shot down an Iranian drone deemed suspicious.

Key Incidents by Region

North Indian Ocean

3 February 2026

A U.S. fighter attacked and shot down an Iranian Shahed 139 reconnaissance drone that had approached the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. The U.S. claimed the Iranian intention was unclear, but Iran insisted the drone was used legally in international airspace.

3 February 2026

The US-flagged Stena Imperative, which was proceeding from the port of Ho Chi Minh City to the port of Manama, Bahrain, encountered three Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz and was ordered to stop. Ignoring the order, the oil tanker proceeded on its course until a US Navy destroyer arrived to provide armed escort.

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5 February 2026

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Force has seized two foreign oil tankers near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf due to smuggling of fuel. The ships, carrying one million liters of oil, which included diesel, were escorted to Bushehr, where 15 crew members were taken for further investigation. However, information on nationalities of crew members was not made available.

6 February 2026

Three U.S.-sanctioned ships, Al Jafzia, Asphalt Star, and Stellar Ruby, were seized by the Indian Coast Guard during a sea-air operation 100 nautical miles off Mumbai. These ships were allegedly involved in the smuggling of illicit oil from conflict zones.

East Africa

6 February 2026

A new armed pirate action group has formed off Somalia’s coastal district of Duradura, as a Yemeni fishing boat, suspected to be involved in piracy activities, has been hijacked by pirates. The fishing vessel is blue and has a length of approximately 8 meters.

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Gulf of Guinea

5 February 2026

An attempted robbery occurred on a Marshall Islands–flagged FPSO 50 nautical miles west of the Angolan coast. An intruder climbed the mooring chain but fled after being spotted. He approached the vessel from an unidentified 8-meter fishing boat. No weapons were observed.

Threat Outlook

Region	Threat Level	Assessment
North Indian Ocean	High	Iranian drones have approached tankers, and seizures occurred. Caution is advised.
East Africa	Moderate	A new pirate group hijacked a Yemeni fishing boat off Somalia. Localized piracy risk is rising.
Gulf of Guinea	Moderate	Opportunistic attacks continue

Operational Guidance

Operators should:

Follow BMP5 transit protocols
Enhance watchkeeping and onboard vigilance
Avoid Iranian international waters
Report all incidents to:
- UKMTO
- MDAT-GoG
- ReCAAP
- IMB / IMO