Maritime Intelligence Co Reveals What it is Watching for 2024

Corey Ranslem, the CEO of Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence company, has revealed to Rigzone that Dryad is watching “a number of things” for 2024.

“The main area of concentration for the foreseeable future is the Red Sea and the issues and changing threat landscape within that region,” Ranslem told Rigzone.

“We have the coalition operating within the region, but we are expecting the Iranian backed Houthis to continue to change tactics,” he added.

Ranslem said the targeting within this region started with vessels having some type of relationship to Israel, whether ownership or heading to one of the Israeli ports, but added that now the threat encompasses any vessel passing through the region. 

“We expect the threat to continue to all vessels within this region for the coming months,” Ranslem added.

The Dryad Global CEO also noted that there is a continued threat within the Persian Gulf region but said that threat has been in place for a number of years.

“We have not seen much activity within this region since the spike in activity within the Red Sea region,” Ranslem revealed. 

“We have also seen some activity within the Gulf of Aden. Although, at this point, we don’t believe there is going to be a return to piracy like we saw back in the mid-2000’s,” he added.

“We are continuing to monitor this region as things could rapidly change as we have seen a number of Dhow’s hijacked along with one attempted hijacking and one successful hijacking,” he continued.

Ranslem told Rigzone that there are “a number” of other regions within the world Dryad is monitoring. 

“The South China Sea has a number of issues, however we haven’t seen direct threats at this point to commercial shipping, but expect increased military activity as China expands its territorial claims,” he said.

“The next region is the maritime region between Venezuela and Guyana. There is currently no major threat to shipping within this region, but the ongoing conflict on land ownership is something that we are monitoring to determine how this is going play out and if there are any potential maritime effects,” he added.

“There is a continuing threat to the oils rigs within the Gulf of Mexico (specifically within the Bay of Campeche region), and we don’t see that situation changing over the coming year,” Ranslem went on to state.

Maritime Security Threat Advisory

In its latest Maritime Security Threat Advisory (MSTA), which was released this week, Dryad stated that recent incidents have heightened tensions in key maritime regions.

“In the Red Sea, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with links to Iran, have been implicated in a drone attack on the Maersk Gibraltar, a cargo vessel navigating a crucial shipping lane,” Dryad said in the MSTA.

“Despite claims of a direct hit by the Houthis, a U.S. official reported the missile missed its target. The attack, according to Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, was a retaliatory measure against the alleged oppression of Palestinians and followed the ship’s crew ignoring calls from Yemeni naval services,” Dryad added.

The company also stated in the advisory that an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) known for its disruptive presence in the Gulf, and notorious for its impact on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, has now emerged in the southern Red Sea.

“The specific details of this incident remain limited, but Vice Admiral Cooper of the US Fifth Fleet noted the USV’s journey from Houthi-controlled areas to international waters, apparently aiming to attack,” it added.

Looking at the Arabian Sea, the MSTA stated that the Indian Navy successfully thwarted a hijacking attempt on the Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk.

“The navy’s swift action led to the rescue of all 21 crew members, including 15 Indians. The operation, which occurred near Somalia’s coast, involved extensive sanitization procedures by the navy, ensuring no pirates remained on board,” Dryad said in the advisory.

“These incidents underline the escalating maritime security challenges in these regions, impacting global shipping and trade routes,” it added.

In its previous MSTA, which was posted on December 19, Dryad said the recent cadence of events within the Red Sea has increased significantly, “bringing the total number of incidents since 19 November 23 to 17”.

“In addition to events in the Red Sea region, rising tensions in the South China Sea indicate an escalation between China and the Philippines,” Dryad noted in that MSTA.

“Chinese Coast Guard water cannons disabled a Philippine boat, as the most serious of four major incidents this year in the waters near Second Thomas Shoal, a feature China claims as its territory but where Philippine marines man an outpost on a grounded ship,” it added.

“The Philippine boats were attempting to bring supplies to the badly deteriorating ship, the Sierra Madre, when the Chinese Coast Guard intervened,” Dryad went on to state.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com