Maritime security from East African ports to Suez and Dubai
A dated public-source research window covering East Africa, the Horn, Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb, Red Sea, Suez and Dubai-linked maritime routes. Records distinguish source reporting from assessment and state confidence and limitations.
Africa-focused monitoring built on named public sources. Records collected automatically are labelled Source record; items carrying an Mazin Intel assessment are labelled Verified intelligence or Analyst assessment. We do not operate a continuous watch floor and do not claim real-time coverage. Source records refresh when public feeds are collected; analyst review is periodic and its status is shown on each item.
Africa's maritime risk picture in 2026
Three theatres drive almost all maritime risk around the continent: the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Somali Basin. Each behaves differently, and each demands a different mitigation posture.
In the southern Red Sea, the dominant threat is stand-off: drones, anti-ship missiles and small-boat approaches directed at vessels perceived to have Israeli, US or UK affiliation. Ownership and charter structure matter more than hull hardening. Many operators continue to route via the Cape of Good Hope, adding roughly ten to fourteen days and significant cost on Europe–Asia legs, with knock-on delays for humanitarian cargo into Djibouti, Port Sudan and Berbera.
The Gulf of Guinea threat is commercial and human: kidnap-for-ransom against crew, executed by pirate action groups operating 60–120 nautical miles off the Niger Delta. Nigerian naval patrols have pushed incidents further offshore rather than eliminating them, so offshore crew changes, seismic work and supply runs remain the exposure points.
Off Somalia the tempo is low but not zero. Pirate action groups retain the capability to hijack dhows and use them as motherships during favourable monsoon windows, which brings low-freeboard and unprotected vessels back into range. Coastal logistics into Bosaso, Mogadishu and Kismayo remain viable with hardened vessel selection and disciplined route planning.
Port-side risk is often underweighted. Congestion at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam concentrates high-value cargo in transit yards for longer, raising theft and diversion exposure on the Northern and Central corridors long after the vessel has sailed.
- Plan for schedule, not just security
Build 10–14 day buffers on Red Sea-dependent procurement and 5–7 days for East African port clearance.
- Profile before hardening
In the Red Sea, ownership, flag and charterer profile drive targeting more than physical measures do.
- Night is the risk window
Gulf of Guinea boardings cluster after dark against drifting or slow-steaming vessels offshore.
- Verify K&R before mobilising
Confirm crew kidnap response plans and cover are live before any Gulf of Guinea or Somali Basin tasking.
Latest published items
How this stream is built
Every published item is triaged from reputable, openly available feeds and reviewed by an Mazin Intel analyst before it appears here. Where a specific source underpins an item, it is cited on the card. This is founder-led, analyst-reviewed research — not continuous or real-time monitoring.
- UKMTO
- IMO
- EU NAVFOR / MSCHOA
- EU maritime security bulletins
- MarineTraffic / AIS (where licensed)
- Regional port authorities
Source names are cited under fair use for editorial commentary. Mazin Intel is not affiliated with these organisations and reproduces no proprietary content.
Live AIS · AISStream.io
Ships transmitting now across the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Gulf approaches
Positions come from a free, volunteer-run network of shore receivers. Coverage is patchy and many vessels switch AIS off in this area, so an empty chart means no signal was received, not that no ships are present. The list refreshes every two minutes.
Listening to the ship feed for 15 seconds…
Incident map · 2023–2025
Major publicly reported attacks on merchant shipping
13 significant incidents from the Red Sea to the Somali Basin and Hormuz, each linked to its public source. Positions are approximate and taken from public reporting. This is a curated record, not a complete list.
Red markers: ship sunk. Dashed rings: chokepoints.
1. Hellas Aphrodite — Piracy / boarding
6 Nov 2025 · Somali Basin
Tanker boarded by Somali pirates far offshore; crew in citadel until naval forces arrived.
Source: EU NAVFOR Atalanta2. Minervagracht — Missile / drone
29 Sept 2025 · Gulf of Aden
Dutch cargo ship hit and set on fire; one crew member later died.
Source: EU NAVFOR Aspides3. Eternity C — Sinking
7 Jul 2025 · Southern Red Sea
Bulk carrier sunk; several crew killed and others reported taken by Houthi forces.
Source: Reuters4. Magic Seas — Sinking
6 Jul 2025 · Southern Red Sea
Bulk carrier sunk by Houthi attack, ending a months-long lull.
Source: UKMTO5. Sounion — Missile / drone
21 Aug 2024 · Southern Red Sea
Loaded tanker attacked and set alight, creating a major oil-spill risk.
Source: EU NAVFOR Aspides6. Tutor — Sinking
12 Jun 2024 · Southern Red Sea
Bulk carrier struck by an explosive boat; one crew member killed; ship later sank.
Source: UKMTO7. MSC Aries — Seizure
13 Apr 2024 · Strait of Hormuz
Container ship seized by Iran's IRGC by helicopter.
Source: Reuters8. MV Abdullah — Hijack
12 Mar 2024 · Somali Basin
Bangladeshi bulk carrier hijacked by Somali pirates; released after ransom in April.
Source: IMB Piracy Reporting Centre9. True Confidence — Missile / drone
6 Mar 2024 · Gulf of Aden off Aden
Three crew killed — the first deaths from the Houthi campaign.
Source: UKMTO10. Rubymar — Sinking
2 Mar 2024 · Bab el-Mandeb
Fertiliser carrier sank after a February missile strike — the first ship lost in the campaign.
Source: Reuters11. Marlin Luanda — Missile / drone
26 Jan 2024 · Gulf of Aden
Tanker set on fire by a Houthi anti-ship missile.
Source: UKMTO12. MV Ruen — Hijack
14 Dec 2023 · Arabian Sea
First successful Somali hijack of a merchant ship since 2017; freed by the Indian Navy in March 2024.
Source: EU NAVFOR Atalanta13. Galaxy Leader — Hijack
19 Nov 2023 · Southern Red Sea
Houthi forces seized the car carrier by helicopter; crew held until January 2025.
Source: Reuters
Data source status
Every source behind this page, and whether it answered
Each public source is checked on page load and every ten minutes. Where an official publisher such as UKMTO refuses automated access, the gap is filled by UN, EU naval and open news reporting — all of it labelled as reported and not yet verified by Mazin Intel.
| Source | Status | Latest item | Checked | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Recent maritime reports from open sources
Newest first, last seven days. Each item is a source record: reported by the named outlet and not yet verified by Mazin Intel.
Port exposure in this theatre
The ports behind the chart, and what has actually been assessed
Exposure levels are analytical judgments drawn from dated open-source reporting, not live port telemetry. A port listed as awaiting assessment has not been rated yet — the absence is stated rather than guessed.
| Port | Country | Corridor / chokepoint | Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| HodeidahHouthi-controlled; struck repeatedly by Israeli and US aircraft. Key for Yemen's food imports. | Yemen | Bab el-Mandeb | Critical |
| Ras IsaHouthi fuel terminal; heavy casualties in April 2025 US strike. | Yemen | Bab el-Mandeb | Critical |
| AdenGovernment-held; unstable politics and war-risk surcharges. | Yemen | Gulf of Aden | Severe |
| Bandar AbbasIran's main port; April 2025 Shahid Rajaee explosion killed dozens. Sanctions exposure. | Iran | Strait of Hormuz | Severe |
| BaraweFormer Al-Shabaab stronghold; contested hinterland. | Somalia | Somali Basin | Severe |
| BosasoClose to pirate networks and ISIS-Somalia in the Cal Miskaad mountains. | Somalia (Puntland) | Gulf of Aden | Severe |
| EilatCommercial activity collapsed after Houthi threats; the port authority reported insolvency in 2025. | Israel | Bab el-Mandeb | Severe |
| EylHistoric pirate base on the Indian Ocean coast. | Somalia (Puntland) | Somali Basin | Severe |
| GaracadCoastal town linked to pirate groups. | Somalia (Puntland) | Somali Basin | Severe |
| HobyoPirate networks used the anchorage during 2024 hijacks. | Somalia | Somali Basin | Severe |
| KismayoJubaland-controlled; Al-Shabaab holds much of the hinterland. | Somalia | Somali Basin | Severe |
| MogadishuAl-Shabaab mortar and suicide attacks around the port and airport zone. | Somalia | Somali Basin | Severe |
| Port SudanSudan's main humanitarian gateway since the war began; drone strikes hit the city in May 2025. | Sudan | Bab el-Mandeb | Severe |
| AshdodWithin rocket range from Gaza. | Israel | Eastern Mediterranean | Substantial |
| AssabClose to the strait; subject of Ethiopian sea-access rhetoric. | Eritrea | Bab el-Mandeb | Substantial |
| BeirutRebuilt after the 2020 explosion; exposed to Israel–Hezbollah conflict. | Lebanon | Eastern Mediterranean | Substantial |
| BerberaDP World-run terminal; the Ethiopia–Somaliland MoU raised political risk. | Somaliland | Gulf of Aden | Substantial |
| ChabaharIndian-operated terminal; sanctions exposure. | Iran | Strait of Hormuz | Substantial |
| Djibouti / DoralehEthiopia's main outlet and host to several foreign naval bases. | Djibouti | Bab el-Mandeb | Substantial |
| FujairahWorld-scale bunkering hub; 2019 limpet-mine attacks nearby. | UAE | Strait of Hormuz | Substantial |
| HaifaTargeted by Hezbollah and Houthi threats. | Israel | Eastern Mediterranean | Substantial |
| Jeddah Islamic PortRed Sea's largest port; Houthi missiles have targeted Saudi coast in the past. | Saudi Arabia | Bab el-Mandeb | Substantial |
| LamuNear the Boni Forest where Al-Shabaab operates. | Kenya | Somali Basin | Substantial |
| Las QorayFishing port in an area with illegal fishing and piracy history. | Somalia (Puntland) | Gulf of Aden | Substantial |
| MassawaLimited public reporting; access and transparency are poor. | Eritrea | Bab el-Mandeb | Substantial |
| MukallaHadramawt coast; past AQAP presence. | Yemen | Gulf of Aden | Substantial |
| ObockDeparture point for migrant boats to Yemen. | Djibouti | Bab el-Mandeb | Substantial |
| Ras TanuraMajor crude terminal; 2019 Abqaiq strike showed onshore exposure. | Saudi Arabia | Strait of Hormuz | Substantial |
| SuakinLivestock and passenger port south of Port Sudan. | Sudan | Bab el-Mandeb | Substantial |
| Umm QasrIraq's main port; militia activity and sanctions exposure. | Iraq | Strait of Hormuz | Substantial |
| YanbuOil export terminal; East–West pipeline outlet avoiding Hormuz. | Saudi Arabia | Bab el-Mandeb | Substantial |
| ZeilaSmall port near the Djibouti border; smuggling routes. | Somaliland | Bab el-Mandeb | Substantial |
| AlexandriaEgypt's main Mediterranean port. | Egypt | Eastern Mediterranean | Moderate |
| AqabaJordan's only port; humanitarian corridor role for Gaza aid. | Jordan | Suez Canal | Moderate |
| DamiettaContainer and LNG port near the canal. | Egypt | Eastern Mediterranean | Moderate |
| Dammam (King Abdulaziz)Saudi Gulf-coast gateway. | Saudi Arabia | Strait of Hormuz | Moderate |
| Dar es SalaamCentral Corridor gateway; cargo theft is the main concern. | Tanzania | Mozambique Channel | Moderate |
| Hamad PortQatar's main container port. | Qatar | Strait of Hormuz | Moderate |
| Jebel AliLargest port in the Middle East; inside Hormuz. | UAE | Strait of Hormuz | Moderate |
| Khalifa bin SalmanNear US Fifth Fleet headquarters. | Bahrain | Strait of Hormuz | Moderate |
| Khalifa PortAbu Dhabi container and industrial port. | UAE | Strait of Hormuz | Moderate |
| Khor FakkanEast-coast container port avoiding Hormuz. | UAE | Strait of Hormuz | Moderate |
| King Abdullah PortModern terminal north of Jeddah. | Saudi Arabia | Bab el-Mandeb | Moderate |
| MombasaEast Africa's largest port; congestion more than security drives delay. | Kenya | Somali Basin | Moderate |
| Port SaidNorthern canal entrance; transhipment volume fell with Red Sea diversions. | Egypt | Suez Canal | Moderate |
| SafagaEgyptian Red Sea bulk and passenger port. | Egypt | Bab el-Mandeb | Moderate |
| SalalahTranshipment hub that gained from Red Sea diversions. | Oman | Gulf of Aden | Moderate |
| ShuwaikhKuwait's main commercial port. | Kuwait | Strait of Hormuz | Moderate |
| SoharGulf of Oman industrial port. | Oman | Strait of Hormuz | Moderate |
| SokhnaSouthern canal approach on the Gulf of Suez. | Egypt | Suez Canal | Moderate |
| TadjourahPotash and Ethiopian cargo terminal. | Djibouti | Bab el-Mandeb | Moderate |
| TangaNorthern Tanzanian port for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. | Tanzania | Mozambique Channel | Moderate |
| ZanzibarIsland port; political sensitivity around elections. | Tanzania | Mozambique Channel | Moderate |
| DuqmArabian Sea port outside Hormuz. | Oman | Strait of Hormuz | Low |
| Port VictoriaBase for counter-piracy patrols and fishing fleets. | Seychelles | Somali Basin | Low |