Industry concerns have been raised that pirates in West Africa, who have seen shipping trade shifting from the Al-Mandeb strait to around the Cape, could also refocus their operations into the Gulf of Guinea.

For the third time in three days, Houthis targeted a tanker off the coast of Yemen with a ballistic missile attack.

Nineteen crew members taken hostage after the hijacking of their ship in the Strait of Hormuz on 11 January are all safe, report the vessel owners.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which advises vessel operators on incidents involving shipping, has reported that up to five armed masked men boarded a tanker in the Gulf of Oman in the early hours of this morning.

Anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into the Red Sea on January 2, demonstrating the continued threat to merchant shipping despite an international naval presence.

Maersk announced it will extend a 48 hour pause to transits through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until further notice following the attack on one of its ships over the weekend.

The EU’s Emission’s Trading System for shipping, the resurgence of piracy, and electronic trade documentation are all trends to keep a watchful eye on in the new year according to Keystone Law.