RiskIntelligence: Top maritime security trends and threats in 2025

RiskIntelligence has published its Maritime Annual Incident Figures 2025 report, highlighting the latest trends in piracy, insurgency, hijackings and maritime security incidents.

In 2025, global maritime security faced significant disruption amid heightened geopolitical tensions and increased attacks on commercial shipping, posing serious challenges to maritime safety and stability worldwide.

South East Asia

• According to the report, in South East Asia, a total of 135 boardings were reported throughout South East Asia in 2025 compared with 100 in 2024, refelcting an increase of 35%. While boardings of bulk carriers saw an increase of 15% and remain the most targeted vessel type, container ships saw the sharpest rise in boardings.
• Kidnappings of seafarers have ceased since 2020.
• The Singapore Strait remains the site of the highest frequency of vessel boardings, representing 81% of the total in 2025, where 100% of incidents involve vessels that are underway.
• 56% of reported incidents resulted in property being stolen.
  Credit: RiskIntelligence

Two developments of concern came to light during 2025

For the first time in ten years, container vessels were targeted while in transit. In addition, during the arrests of perpetrators in July, Indonesian Marine Police (IMP) found the suspects to be in possession of methamphetamine. This drug is known to cause erratic and violent behaviour, and the perpetrators admitted to using it when boarding ships.

As perpetrators are known to carry knives and more recently air-soft guns when raiding vessels, the potential for violence is raised with the added factor of methamphetamine use. IMP patrols on the Phillip Channel improved the situation from August, however, it is not known how long these patrols will continue.

Operators of bulk carriers are well-advised to ensure awareness amongst crew on board vessels transiting the Singapore Strait. Moreover, crew serving on bulk carriers have been subjected to more violent attacks as compared with crew on other vessel types. 

…said RiskIntelligence. 

Middle East (Red Sea / Gulf of Aden / Persian Gulf / Gulf of Oman)

Attacks against merchant ships decreased significantly. Houthi forces continued their campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, resulting in a sustained decrease in maritime traffic throughout the year. As a result, the average number of weekly transits through the Bab el Mandeb has not significantly changed throughout the year.

While there was a slight uptick in October and November, the number of merchant ships passing the Bab el Mandeb fell again slightly in December.

These developments underscore the strategic success obtained by the Houthis. The volume of traffic has halved compared to the pre-crisis level. Moreover, it has remained virtually at the same level since February 2024 despite a major decrease in the frequency of attacks.

Threats, air campaigns and public communications (by non-Houthi actors) claiming that the Houthis had ceased their campaign have not led to a resumption of traffic through the Red Sea, despite significant commercial pressure.

The fact that no ship operator wants to be first, but nobody wants to be last either is still the best summary of the shipping industry’s waitand-see attitude. A recovery of maritime traffic to pre-crisis levels will have to wait for a formal declaration by the Houthis – not a statement read between the leaves – and for a gradual return of larger carriers which had previously been targeted by the Houthis.

Mediterranean

Despite military engagements on several fronts, hostilities only marginally affected commercial maritime operations in Israel and other countries around the eastern Mediterranean. However, some ports — notably Haifa and Eilat — were exposed to Iranian and Houthi missile and drone strikes.

Indian ocean (Somali Basin)

Following limited activity earlier in 2025, at the end of October a dhow was hijacked and then used as a mother ship for pirate operations farther out from the Somali coastline in the Indian Ocean.

Overall, these attacks and approaches confirmed that opportunistic piracy can still take place in the area, particularly during post-monsoon weather which is more suitable for small boat operations deep offshore. Pirate groups remain interested in targeting merchant vessels for hijacking and can use mother ships to increase their range, hoping to find vulnerable targets.

West Africa (Gulf of Guinea)

Kidnappings of seafarers have been rare since mid-2021. Unfortunately, several attacks in 2025 underlined that the threat remains noteworthy. Overall conditions in the region should therefore be closely monitored.

With 57 security incidents, the overall number of security incidents increased by more than 30% compared to 2024. Throughout the region, illicit activities in the maritime environment have increased over the past years. This is highlighted by the fact that many successful and attempted attacks against merchant ships which are widely reported as piracy are suspected to be closely linked to other illegal operations.

Piracy, including kidnap-for-ransom attacks against merchant vessels, remains just one symptom of an overall lack of security at sea throughout the Gulf of Guinea. Navies and law enforcement agencies are generally constrained by limited human and financial resources. Mitigation measures such as those outlined in BMP Maritime Security therefore remain important. Crew vigilance and regular security drills are also key for protecting seafarers.

Black Sea

In 2025, incidents involving merchant ships in the wider Black Sea increased slightly compared with 2024 (19 confirmed cases compared to 16 in the previous year). However, a notable shift occurred in the nature of these incidents.

Attacks on vessels underway increased from a single case in 2024 to four in 2025, indicating Ukraine’s growing willingness and capability to target the so-called Russian “shadow fleet” and Russia’s willingness to similarly also target commercial vessels underway in the Black Sea.

In the Sea of Azov, seven maritime incidents were recorded in 2025, slightly up from five in 2024, while activity in the Kerch Strait declined significantly from five to a single incident.

Baltic Sea

In 2025, incidents of satellite navigation spoofing and jamming in the Baltic Sea region took a significant leap compared with previous years. Although exact figures are unavailable, several irregularities suggest that the scale and persistence of such interference have increased notably.

Automatic Identification System (AIS) data indicate heavy spoofing in particular around Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg, areas which were already known previously for heightened electronic activity.

Latin America & Carribean

The number of kidnapping incidents remains low compared to other hotspots globally. However, the sporadic nature of attacks against merchant vessels is partially explained by a dramatic decline in maritime activity triggered by gang attacks against port premises in March 2023.

Maritime activity in the port grew again through 2025 after several periods during which authorities had to suspend port operations completely. At the same time, the number of maritime security incidents did not see a corresponding increase.

At the same time, this lack of actual incidents involving merchant ships is not based on a sustainable improvement of the security situation in the country.

source : safety4sea