The risk of piracy in the Southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden (GOA) and wider Indian Ocean has increased in frequency and efficiency year on year since 2007. The South West monsoon is abating in the Indian Ocean and attacks are expected to recommence shortly.

This short brief is an outline of the situation; how it is likely to evolve and how to treat the risk. This document is not designed as a sales pitch for our intelligence services but instead, we hope, it will form a handy guide to understanding and treating the risk. That said, given the nature of the risk, if you must transit the area, we do recommend a full risk assessment and in the majority of cases, the embarkation of an armed security team.