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Maritime Security· Black Sea· JWC Listed Area

JWLA-035 Expands the Black Sea JWC Listed Area Across the Basin

Published 19 Sept 2026

The Joint War Committee's JWLA-035 (16 September 2026) replaces the previous bounded Black Sea Listed Area with a basin-wide definition, listing almost the entire Black Sea and Sea of Azov except the territorial waters of Türkiye, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia. Russian and Ukrainian territorial waters remain listed.

Operational relevance — For some Black Sea voyages the point of entry into the Listed Area moves materially earlier. The Joint War Committee lists areas but does not set premiums: a listing triggers notification and negotiation of terms under the policy, not an automatic surcharge. Excluded territorial waters are outside this definition, which is not a statement about their safety.

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Maritime SecurityPublished 14 Sept 2026Middle East · Strait of Hormuz

Iran Adds 20 Vessels to Its Strait of Hormuz Non-Compliant Vessels List

PGSA has added 20 vessels to its Non-Compliant Vessels list, bringing the published total to 77 as at 0700 UTC on 14 September 2026. The Iranian body states that listed vessels may face restrictions during future Strait of Hormuz passages, including fines, detention or confiscation, and that vessels conducting STS, transshipment or other cooperation with listed vessels may themselves be added.

Operational relevance — Owners, charterers and cargo interests should screen fleets and forward Gulf fixtures against the full 77-vessel list by IMO number, and notify flag state, P&I and war-risk underwriters. Because PGSA states that STS, transshipment or other cooperation with a listed vessel may itself lead to listing, NCV screening should extend beyond the nominated vessel to recent STS and transshipment counterparties where a Strait of Hormuz transit is contemplated. A vessel associated with a listed vessel by ownership, management or charter should assume that association may be sufficient for inclusion.

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ConflictPublished 10 Sept 2026Red Sea · Mokha

Houthi forces capture Mokha, extending coastal reach in the southern Red Sea

On 10 September Houthi forces captured the Red Sea port city of Mokha from pro-government forces. The change compresses warning time for shipping in the southern Red Sea but does not, by itself, confer control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

Operational relevance — Vessels transiting the southern Red Sea should assume compressed reaction time. The territorial change does not equate to a closed or controlled strait: Mokha's position cannot range the waterway, and the decisive terrain (Perim Island and the Dhubab coast) remains contested and unconfirmed.

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Maritime SecurityPublished 13 Aug 2026Red Sea

Houthi targeting profile shifts towards Saudi affiliation

The Houthi blockade declaration of 20 July placed Saudi-linked shipping at the centre of the declared maritime target set. In the opening phase, affiliation rather than vessel type has been the clearest common feature of the vessels attacked or claimed.

Operational relevance — Vessel type alone is no longer a sufficient indicator of exposure. Owners and operators need to understand flag, ownership, management, recent port calls and wider commercial associations before assessing a Red Sea transit.

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Maritime IntelligencePublished 13 Aug 2026Red Sea · Saudi Red Sea coast

JWLA-034 brings Saudi Red Sea transits within the Listed Area

On 29 July the Joint War Committee issued JWLA-034, removing the qualifications that had kept Saudi Red Sea transits outside the Listed Area and moving the Red Sea notification line north to 25.5°N.

Operational relevance — Entering a Listed Area does not automatically mean a vessel pays a higher premium. Application to an individual voyage depends on the insurance contract, notification requirements, cancellation and reinstatement provisions, and negotiation between owner and underwriter. The material change is that a much larger part of the Saudi Red Sea operating environment now falls within the war-risk notification and additional-premium framework.

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ConflictPublished 13 Aug 2026Red Sea · Yanbu

Yanbu's strategic importance increases vessel exposure around the Saudi export corridor

As Strait of Hormuz disruption pushes more crude onto Saudi Arabia's west coast, Yanbu has become a strategically important export outlet — and the corridor around it now sits inside the threat environment.

Operational relevance — Tankers alongside, at anchorage or waiting for access may carry collateral exposure to attacks directed against nearby energy infrastructure in addition to any vessel-specific targeting risk.

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Port / OperationsPublished 13 Aug 2026Europe · Mediterranean / Southern Europe

Mediterranean wildfire exposure increasingly falls ashore rather than at the berth

For cruise operations in the Mediterranean, the 2026 wildfire season's exposure has repeatedly fallen ashore — on excursions, transport and land programmes — rather than on the ship itself.

Operational relevance — A ship may remain able to berth safely while wildfire in the surrounding region makes excursions, transport links or shore-side programmes unsuitable, creating itinerary, guest-safety and duty-of-care exposure that is not visible from the vessel's own status.

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Port / OperationsPublished 07 Aug 2026Middle East · Strait of Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz commercial traffic remains heavily suppressed

AIS-derived data in Trident's Voluntary Reporting Area overview put Strait of Hormuz traffic at roughly four per cent of the pre-conflict average in the week ending 6 August.

Operational relevance — The continued suppression indicates that operators are not simply switching between available routes; some planned transits are being deferred or abandoned in response to the operating environment.

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Port / OperationsPublished 07 Aug 2026Middle East · Strait of Hormuz

Northern Strait of Hormuz route takes larger share of remaining traffic

Of the transits still being made, the northern route carried the larger share in the week to 6 August; the suspended Traffic Separation Scheme recorded none.

Operational relevance — Observed route selection indicates that vessels continuing to transit are disproportionately favouring the northern route.

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Cyber / GNSSPublished 07 Aug 2026Middle East

GNSS disruption remains concentrated across three maritime corridors

Voluntary reporting recorded 604 GNSS-interference reports year to date — 61 in the previous 30 days — concentrated in the Red Sea, Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Operational relevance — Reported interference continues to affect major commercial transit corridors and should remain part of bridge-team navigation-integrity planning.

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ConflictPublished 27 Jul 2026Black Sea

Black Sea campaign widens into mainstream export tonnage

After the Ukrainian maritime campaign was extended into the Black Sea on 15 July, the observed target set widened from Crimea-facing logistics to mainstream export tonnage serving international markets.

Operational relevance — Owners and charterers should not infer exposure solely from the campaign's stated focus on Crimea-related logistics. Presence at, or transit to and from, Russian Black Sea terminals is the stronger common feature in the observed casualty record.

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Maritime SecurityPublished 27 Jul 2026Black Sea

Bulk carriers enter the Black Sea maritime target set

Bulk carriers entered the Black Sea target set sharply after 15 July: five were struck in twelve days, against one serving a Russian port in the preceding six-and-a-half months.

Operational relevance — Bulk-carrier operators should not rely on the threat pattern observed during the first half of 2026 when evaluating calls at Russian Black Sea terminals.

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Port / OperationsPublished 27 Jul 2026Black Sea · Eastern Black Sea terminals

Stationary time emerges as the greatest observed exposure near eastern Black Sea terminals

The greatest observed exposure in the Black Sea record was time spent stationary near eastern loading terminals — not distance from port.

Operational relevance — Loading delays, terminal suspensions and waiting at anchor can increase the time a vessel spends static and predictable inside the highest-exposure area identified in the casualty record.

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Maritime IntelligencePublished 27 Jul 2026Black Sea

Registry and sanctions status show no observable protection in Black Sea casualty record

Flag, ownership, vessel age, P&I profile and sanctions status showed no observable protection in the Black Sea casualty record.

Operational relevance — Flag, ownership jurisdiction, vessel age, P&I profile or the absence of a sanctions designation should not be treated individually as evidence that a vessel is outside the observed threat set.

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Maritime SecurityPublished 27 Jul 2026Black Sea

Black Sea attack consequences remain concentrated on disabling damage

The characteristic Black Sea outcome was disabling damage rather than sinking — hull, machinery and steering, with most vessels remaining afloat.

Operational relevance — Contingency planning should account for immobilisation, salvage, towage, port-of-refuge requirements, off-hire and cargo delay rather than focusing exclusively on total loss.

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War Risk Analysis · 19 September 2026

JWLA-035: Black Sea War Risk Listed Area Expands Across the Basin

The Joint War Committee's JWLA-035 replaces the previous bounded Black Sea Listed Area with a basin-wide definition, extending listed-area treatment across the Black Sea outside the territorial waters of Türkiye, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia. Russian and Ukrainian territorial waters remain included, and the insurance consequences remain policy-specific.

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September 2026 reassessment. The Houthi capture of Mokha and continued strikes on Saudi-affiliated shipping and energy infrastructure have deepened an affiliation-led threat and made southern Red Sea geography a central variable. Regional threat does not equal individual vessel risk.

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