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Risk Intelligence in the media

Mer et Marine’s Gael Cogné interviewed Risk Intelligence Senior analyst Dr. Dirk Siebels about the piracy situation in the Gulf of Guinea area, where piracy incidents are suddenly at the lowest level for many months. Siebels shared an overview of the situation in the region outlining current risks and potential gains in the regional and international efforts to combat piracy.

For several months, the waters of the Gulf of Guinea have been strangely calm, writes journalist Gael Cogné before diving deeper into the current situation in the Gulf of Guinea in this feature. The article opens with a number of incidents in the area comparing 2021 with the year 2020, following with information about foreign vessels, local action, theft of crude and risk and gains.

Following Risk Intelligence’s briefing on Russia’s war in Ukraine, journalist Julien Bouissou interviewed Risk Intelligence’s PortRisk Manager, Ian Wilkinson, who shared perspectives on the long-term impact on maritime operations of the current conflict.

Considering the maritime implications of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, journalist Julien Bouissou dived deeper into the consequences suffered by the shipping industry in this feature from ‘Le Monde‘. The article opens with a look at the ships and crews that have found themselves in the proximity of the conflict, and the direct risks concerning them.

While looking at the five potential scenarios highlighted by Risk Intelligence that might be considered by Russia, Cheif editor of Ports et corridors, Hervé Deiss, emphasized Risk Intelligence’s analysis of the collateral damages faced by port facilities in Ukraine, where both the maritime navigation and land infrastructure can be impacted and even attacked.

In the article, Deiss highlights how Russian naval manoeuvres have already compromised access to Ukrainian Black Sea ports, and reports how Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure has advised the maritime sector to seek alternative routes to bypass the Russian blockade. A proposal proven to be successful and therefore confirming that the maritime trade is not yet impacted by the current crisis. Even so, an increase in freight rates for ships in the Black Sea has been noted.

During the recent discussion with Robbin Laird, CEO of Risk Intelligence, Hans Tino Hansen had a chance to share his thought on the current situation and other important topics associated with it.

Answering question How does the current Ukraine crisis fit into the evolving history of European direct defense?, Hans Tino Hansen says: “With the preoccupation with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the West has in a certain sense had its head in the sand and developed a geopolitical blindness with regard to European geopolitics. Putin has not. And he has been working his approach to determine who in the West is willing to do what in meeting his ongoing demands.

As the Danish frigate ‘Esbern Snare’ was sent off towards the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) west of Africa on a mission to fight maritime pirates, Danish newspaper Jyllandsposten interviewed West Africa specialist Dr. Dirk Siebels on the possible impact of the frigate’s mission.

Last Sunday, the Danish Navy deployed its frigate Esbern Snare on a solo mission to the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of West Africa to deter piracy. Around 30-40 Danish operated ships sail through the West African waters every day, and a little over a year ago Danish tanker "Hafnia Phoenix" suddenly found itself surrounded by pirates, approximately 150 km off the coast of Ghana.

The US Naval Institute’s news organ, USNI News, brought an article this week on the deployment of its only U.S. Africa Command’s vessel’s journey through major African drug trafficking chokepoints. Head of Intelligence Analysis Guy Wilson-Roberts was interviewed on the threat.

Following a stop in Maputo, Mozambique, the U.S. Africa Command's vessel USS Hershel “Woody” Williams moved through the Mozambique Channel late last month for the second time this year.

Bunkerspot Magazine this month brings an in-depth article by Risk Intelligence’s Africa specialist Dr. Dirk Siebels and Head of Intelligence Dr. Guy Wilson-Roberts on the global threat of piracy and how it is evolving.

Risk Intelligence has been monitoring and assessing the decline in the Somali piracy threat in the Indian Ocean for several years. But in other parts of the world, such as the Gulf of Guinea and South-east Asia, piracy is still a major threat. South-east Asia accounts for around 40% of reports in 2021 so far according the the International Maritime Bureau, IMB, write Dr. Dirk Siebels and Dr. Guy Wilson-Roberts in the article, Risk Intelligence’s leading specialists on the topic.

Mitigating the cargo theft risks in Milton Keynes, UK is not a simple task. The area is the main target for cargo theft gangs and registers among the highest cargo loss values in the country according to the British Home Office.

Risk Intelligence’s Europe and Russia Analyst, Kristian Bischoff, wrote an article for TAPA’s Vigilant Magazine on what makes Milton Keynes a prime location for cargo theft, which routs and truck parking areas are being hit and how Risk Intelligence’s land-based security risk module can help you mitigate the cargo theft risks.

When interviewed by Lloyd’s List following the drone attack on the Mercer Street tanker, Risk Intelligence CEO Hans Tino Hansen characterised the Iranian attack as a “serious escalation” from previous tit-for-tat attacks.

Following last week’s drone attack on the Zodiac-operated product tanker Mercer Street, the International Chamber of Shipping issued an official recommendation that “all voyages are thoroughly threat and risk assessed, to minimise potential dangers and damages.”

When the product tanker Mercer Street was fatally attacked by Iranian drones on 29 July, the New York Times asked CEO Hans Tino Hansen for a comment, as Risk Intelligence has been monitoring the Israeli-Iranian engagement in the maritime domain for several years.

On Thursday 29 July, an oil tanker managed by an Israeli-owned shipping firm, Zodiac Maritime, was attacked off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members, according to the firm and three Israeli officials. The New York Times interviewed two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, and who said the attack appeared to have been carried out by several unmanned Iranian drones that crashed into living quarters underneaththe ship’s command center, or bridge.

Europe analyst Kristian Bischoff was asked by Hansa Online to provide an analysis of the needs for enhanced cybersecurity as ports become digitalised - or Smart Ports as they are often called - for the July cybersecurity theme. In the article, Bischoff outlines the core vulnerabilities, particularly against ransomware.

In the article for Hansa Online, Kristian Bischoff writes: “With the increased digitisation and computerisation of the world’s ports comes not only more efficient and smooth port operations – but it also opens up ports to small and large cyberattacks, some even with the potential to interrupting operations entirely.”

With stowaways costing as much as $300,000 to disembark, getting seafarers invested in ship security is needed to help prevent unauthorised boardings, said PortRisk Manager Ian Wilkinson in his July webinar. Journalist Declan Bush attended the webinar and wrote an article for Lloyds’ List on the financial implications of the threat.

While west and South Africa remain the main locations for stowaways joining ships, there are reports of increased incidents in Belgium and Germany, said PortRisk Manager Ian Wilkinson in his 13 July webinar: ‘Stowaways: Cape Town and Africa hotspots’. Cape Town, Durban, and Lagos are the main African embarkation ports for stowaways, but Bilbao in Spain is popular with those seeking to reach the UK. The Nigerian Navy has said it arrested 97 stowaways in Lagos in the 12 months to June.

West Africa analyst Dr. Dirk Siebels was asked by the Hansa International Maritime Journal to to provide a briefing on the thorough preparation required to mitigate risks to operations in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as an update on the situation and possible outlook for the July issue’s focus section on ‘Piracy and Maritime Security’.

Ship operators and their crews are particularly concerned [by the situation in the Gulf of Guinea] because all types of vessels may come under attack”, writes Dr. Dirk Siebel in the briefing. Even vessels that are considered as complicated to board – such as LNG tankers or container ships underway – have been targeted. In January, one seafarer was even killed when the container ship MOZART was boarded, 15 other crew members were then kidnapped and later released after a ransom had been paid.

Lloyds’ List’s Declan Bush has interviewed CEO Hans Tino Hansen for a comment on a report by the Wall Street Journal that Iran has bombed or mined Iranian tankers carrying oil bound for Syria since late 2019 amid continued geopolitical tensions. The report claimed that Iran kept quiet about the attacks to save face, and that the US knew or implicitly consented to the attacks.

In the article, Declan Bush writes: “A report that Israel has mounted covert attacks on Iranian tankers carrying oil to Syria will not increase the low risk to general shipping in the Middle East, according to security experts.

Dr. Dirk Siebels has contributed to the annual CJOS COE (NATO) publication ‘Cutting the bow wave’ with an in-depth article on the security situation in West and Central Africa and how the region could serve as a case study for NATO, providing lessons that can be applied in other areas, which are a more strategic concern to the alliance.

Lessons can be learned from the overall lack of sea control coupled with a diverse set of maritime security challenges in general as well as from the implications of the Covid-19 situation in particular.

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