Hey there, Bay Area buddies! I hope you’re well. Another day, another story from the high seas, this time popping up in your feed with some happenings in maritime security. As always, there’s no shortage of excitement and intrigue.
Cast your mind across the globe to the Red Sea—busy doesn’t cover it. There’s been a whopping 60% upswing in marine traffic, with around 36-37 ships cruising through each day. But alas, despite a ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis, and the Houthis shifting their focus to vessels linked to Israel, the shenanigans in this area haven’t slackened off.
Quite a few shipping folks are choosing to navigate their vessels around the southern coast of Africa, avoiding the Red Sea completely. It’s not difficult to see why – between persistent geopolitical kerfuffles, sky-high war risk insurance premiums, and various attacks stirring the pot, it’s a bit of an uncomfortable ride down that corridor. The European Union’s put their Aspides naval mission on the case, successfully keeping attacks at bay since December 2024—winning attitude, right?
But even with the best intentions, they only have 2-3 ships to escort others, and often run into weeklong setbacks. So, it’s not looking like we’ll have smooth sailing in the Red Sea anytime soon. Iran’s nuclear activities and reported GPS disruptions during naval exercises between China, Iran, and Russia aren’t helping the situation either.
Let’s swivel over Asia way to China for a moment. From summer 2024 to spring 2025, a group linked to China deftly pulled off a cyber espionage campaign against over 70 unsuspecting organizations globally. Government departments, media outlets, finance firms, and logistics companies were all pawns in the game.
These sly cyber sleuths used high-level techniques to worm their way into Check Point and SAP systems, breaching supply chains and leaking critical data. This incident, along with GPS scrambles reported during another round of military exercises in the Arabian Gulf, amps up the risks to commercial shipping worldwide.
Information is power, right? By infiltrating logistics data, adversaries can not only disrupt operations but can also stage targeted theft or even sabotage. Meanwhile, GPS disturbances cause a real hullabaloo, potentially leading to disastrous collisions or seizures of the vessels.
Change of scene now, and we’ve got drug seizures and spying allegations making waves from Zanzibar to Acapulco. Maritime fires also caused a ruckus lately, giving the US Coast Guard a run for their money with a blaze aboard the car carrier Morning Midas off Alaska. And let’s not forget the violent eruptions on a cargo ship off India’s Kerala coast.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Among the troubled waters, there’s bright news too. Japan and Singapore, for instance, are joining forces on trials of the Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship. The U.S. and Singapore, not to be outdone, are also going guns blazing, boosting their naval rapport via Exercise Pacific Griffin 2025.
Tensions are continuing to brew, though. Panama’s scrapped 650 ships from its registry due to sanctions. Taiwan’s had enough of what they call China’s provocative military patrols. In Guyana, ExxonMobil’s looking at a hike in risk insurance following Venezuelan military frolics. Interesting, isn’t it?
In times like these, it’s trickier than ever to navigate the choppy waters of the global maritime industry. But hey, we’re a resilient and savvy bunch. Let’s buckle up and navigate these challenges together, keeping our heads held high amid geopolitical instability, cyber threats, and maritime disruptions. Enjoy your day and stay safe out there, comrades!
by Morgan Phisher | HEAL Security
