Windward

At a Glance Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains near collapse, with only two crossings recorded on March 16 . . Bulk carriers are re-routing through Iranian territorial …

At a Glance Bulk carriers sailing eastbound to exit the Middle East Gulf are re-routing through Iranian territorial waters to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, circumventing shorter, normal international navigation …

At a Glance Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to zero on March 14, marking the first full day of the conflict with no AIS-confirmed crossings in …

At a Glance Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained near a standstill during the week, with only 10 vessel crossings recorded between March 7 and March 11 , …

At a Glance Maritime security conditions across the Gulf deteriorated sharply on March 11 as coordinated attacks targeted commercial vessels across the Strait of Hormuz, the northern Gulf, and Iraqi …

At a Glance Transit activity through the Strait of Hormuz remained heavily suppressed on March 10, with only two outbound crossings recorded and no inbound movements observed. on March 10, …

At a Glance Commercial activity through the Strait of Hormuz fell again on March 9, with only a single outbound Iranian-flagged vessel recorded and no inbound movements observed. on March …

At a Glance Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest level of the conflict, with only two outbound Iranian-flagged vessels recorded and no inbound crossings . . …

At a Glance Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained near a standstill on March 7, with only three total crossings recorded. Selective transit behavior may be emerging, with certain …

At a Glance More than 1,650 vessels experienced GPS and AIS interference across the Middle East Gulf on March 7, up 55% from a week ago. from a week ago. …

At a Glance Operation Epic Fury triggered immediate disruption across maritime chokepoints in the Gulf. Commercial tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed as strikes, threats, and insurance withdrawal …

At a Glance The Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed , with only five vessel crossings recorded on March 4. , with only five vessel crossings recorded on March 4. …

At a Glance The Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed on March 3, with only four vessels crossing the corridor. War-risk insurance withdrawals are reinforcing the reduction in commercial traffic …

Insurance Market Reaction Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz declined by 80% within 24 hours of strikes being launched on Iran over the weekend as shipowners and charterers weighed whether …

At a Glance Four commercial tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman within 36 hours of Operation Epic Fury. Targeting patterns are consistent with …

At a Glance U.S. strikes under Operation Epic Fury immediately altered maritime risk calculations across the Gulf. Western-affiliated tankers and LNG carriers paused or reversed course before entering the Strait …

At a Glance More than 1,100 vessels experienced GPS and AIS interference across the Middle East Gulf within 24 hours, amid heightened regional tensions following the launch of Operation Epic …

At a Glance OFAC sanctioned 12 shadow fleet vessels involved in transporting Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals. Multiple shipping companies and vessel owners were designated under Executive Order 13902. The designations …

At a Glance The EU failed to pass a proposed maritime services ban targeting Russian crude exports. The delay prevents, for now, a shift that was widely expected to increase …

Week in Focus A Russian diesel cargo is signaling arrival in Cuba following AIS destination changes and offshore ship-to-ship loading. A Baltic subsea power cable shutdown coincided with vessel behavior …

A tanker carrying Russian diesel is sailing for Cuba even as tightening U.S. pressure on the island’s fuel supply has forced other shipments to abort voyages or cancel loadings. Vessel …

America’s Maritime Action Plan outlines a coordinated effort to rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity, expand the U.S.-flag fleet, reform procurement, strengthen workforce pipelines, and modernize maritime regulation. Key Takeaways Commercial shipbuilding …

Week in Focus Sanctions Enforcement Moves Further Offshore The United States intercepted and boarded Aquila II (IMO 9281152) in the Indian Ocean, nearly 1,000 nautical miles from where it fled …

Cameroon’s government has pledged to deregister all shadow fleet tankers following representations from Brussels and amid a surge in registrations from sanctioned, stateless tonnage in late 2025 and early 2026. …

At a Glance Western interdictions of falsely flagged tankers are accelerating a shift toward Russia’s registry. At least 120 sanctioned tankers now fit the profile of vessels already reflagging to …

The Week in Focus Sanctions enforcement shifted toward operational constraint , as the EU introduced a full maritime services ban for Russian crude oil and sanctioned 43 additional shadow fleet …

EU Moves to End Maritime Workarounds EU-owned tankers shipped 35% of Russian oil in January, ahead of a planned “full maritime services ban” that will end Western marine service providers’ …

At a Glance RAIDER, a 41-meter vessel, resurfaced in late 2025 after years of dormancy. Within weeks, it changed identity and flagged under Togo – a known low-oversight registry. Windward …

At a Glance Venezuela’s 2026 oil sector reform opens production to foreign investment and operational control but was driven by external political pressure, not internal stability. Shadow fleets, deceptive shipping …

The Week in Focus Maritime enforcement is moving from designation to action, with boardings, safety interventions, and access denial increasingly used across multiple regions rather than confined to a single …

Key Takeaways The 2026 National Defense Strategy treats maritime access as a continuous strategic condition , not a crisis response. , not a crisis response. Chokepoints, routes, and infrastructure function …

At a Glance The 2026 U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS) places the maritime domain at the center of U.S. homeland defense and economic security. and economic security. Securing maritime approaches …

The Week in Focus U.S. maritime enforcement expanded beyond Venezuelan waters , with continued interdictions tied to oil sanctions signaling a shift from monitoring to physical enforcement at sea, regardless …

At a Glance False flagging has surged as sanctions pressure increases across oil and commodity trades. Shadow fleet operators are exploiting fraudulent and defunct registries to evade enforcement. These practices …

At a Glance In 2026, maritime enforcement has escalated with global tanker seizures under Operation Southern Spear and drone attacks targeting commercial traffic in the Black Sea. Vessels are increasingly …

The Week in Focus Drone strikes in the Black Sea have targeted multiple commercial tankers awaiting loading at or near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal. awaiting loading at or …

Key Takeaways Maritime enforcement is shifting from observation to interdiction , as illicit actors increasingly embed themselves within legitimate trade flows. , as illicit actors increasingly embed themselves within legitimate …

At a Glance On January 3, a large-scale U.S. military strike resulted in the capture of the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, leading to a total blockade of the nation’s ports. …

The Week in Focus U.S. military intervention in Venezuela has shifted the operating environment from sanctions monitoring to active maritime risk management, with uncertainty now driving behavior across ports, offshore …

Preliminary figures show European-owned tankers shipped 29% of all Russian oil in December, underscoring the growing complexity of sanctions enforcement as Western governments further target exports funding the Kremlin’s war …

By Ariel Zibziner, VP Business Services, Windward Data Integrity in an Era of High-Frequency Signal Manipulation As we conclude 2025, the maritime domain is characterized by a trust deficit in …

Bella 1 Reflags to Russia to Avoid U.S. Interception Runaway Venezuela-trading tanker Bella 1 (IMO 9230880) painted a Russian flag on its hull, changed its name, and reflagged to Russia …

At a Glance Gray-zone maritime operations blur the line between competition and conflict, using tactics engineered to evade attribution. Dark activity, AIS manipulation, loitering, and underwater reconnaissance now appear across …

At a Glance KYD™ serves as a proprietary validation layer that ensures all data feeding AI and risk models remains accurate, complete, and resilient against intentional manipulation. This framework addresses …

The runaway tanker Bella 1 is claiming Russian protection by painting a Russian flag on its hull, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials. The U.S.-sanctioned, falsely flagged …

The Week in Focus The White House announced a two-month military “quarantine” of Venezuelan oil, raising immediate questions around scope, legal authority, and treatment of non-sanctioned vessels. Russia’s shadow fleet …

At a Glance Following Ukrainian drone strikes in late November and December, dark fleet tankers are abandoning direct Black Sea crossings and instead hugging the Turkish coastline, adding 350 miles …

At a Glance The dark fleet refers to tankers that use deceptive shipping practices to move sanctioned oil outside international enforcement. refers to tankers that use deceptive shipping practices to …

The Week in Focus U.S. forces seized Centuries, a non-sanctioned tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, signaling a shift toward behavior-based maritime enforcement. A third tanker, Bella 1, was intercepted en route …

At a Glance The seizure of Skipper and the announced U.S. blockade mark a shift from monitoring dark fleet activity to sustained enforcement pressure. The United States and Ukraine are …