Centralised intelligence key to maritime security

As geopolitical flashpoints continue to multiply across global trade routes, shipmanagers are increasingly relying on centralised intelligence operations to cope with a more fragmented and volatile risk landscape. 
A new report from Anglo-Eastern argues that maritime security has evolved beyond isolated piracy incidents, shifting instead toward “compound risk profiles” spanning multiple critical corridors, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Malacca Strait. 
The Hong Kong-based shipmanager notes that the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year demonstrated how rapidly regional instability can escalate into a fleet-wide operational disruption. The company revealed that 16 vessels and 364 seafarers of more than a dozen nationalities were directly impacted during the incident. 
According to the report, the industry is now facing an “intelligence gap”, where operators are inundated with fragmented advisories, naval warnings and commercial threat feeds arriving from multiple sources in inconsistent formats. 
“Risk intelligence that takes three days to reach the right person is history, not intelligence,” the report stated. 
To address this challenge, Anglo-Eastern launched its Global Security Desk (GSD) in 2024, a 24/7 intelligence and decision-support hub overseeing its fleet of more than 700 vessels. The company says that at any given time, between 30 and 50 ships are operating in high-risk or war-risk zones. 
The GSD aggregates information from military organisations, flag states, insurers, and industry bodies such as INTERTANKO and INTERCARGO, while also maintaining direct coordination with the French Navy’s MICA Center, as well as the Indian and US navies. 
Anglo-Eastern explains that this centralised approach enables earlier detection of risk patterns and allows for tailored guidance based on each vessel’s route, cargo profile and operational context, rather than relying on broad regional alerts. 
The report also underscores the growing financial exposure linked to maritime security risks. War-risk premiums for a VLCC, for example, can surge from 0.2% to 5% within days, translating into insurance costs rising from around $200,000 to as much as $5 million per voyage. 
Beyond physical threats, the company warns that seafarers now require enhanced training in areas such as electronic warfare, GNSS spoofing, cyber resilience, and operations under prolonged uncertainty. 
“Being a ship manager means being a risk manager,” the report concludes.