Analysis Calls for Global Coalition to Safeguard Maritime Security
LONDON- A coordinated international coalition combining military, financial, legal and diplomatic tools is needed to protect global shipping routes from persistent threats and disruptions, according to an analysis published on Thursday, which argues that existing maritime security arrangements remain too fragmented to address evolving challenges.
The analysis says the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz are not merely regional waterways but critical global trade corridors whose security directly affects energy supplies, international commerce and economic stability. It argues that protecting these maritime chokepoints should be regarded as a shared international responsibility rather than one confined to Gulf states and neighboring countries.
While multinational naval missions, regional information-sharing mechanisms, sanctions and international legal frameworks already exist, the report contends that there is no permanent political structure capable of coordinating these instruments into a unified strategy. It argues that such fragmentation allows threats to persist by limiting international political alignment and operational coordination.
The analysis proposes the creation of a global coalition for maritime security and network disruption that would integrate military operations with financial intelligence, customs cooperation, export controls, law enforcement, cyber security, port protection, diplomacy and capacity-building efforts.
According to the report, maritime transport carries more than 80% of global trade by volume, making uninterrupted navigation through strategic waterways essential for the world economy. It notes that attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea have already forced vessels to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing transit times, freight and insurance costs while disrupting supply chains and adding inflationary pressures.
The Strait of Hormuz is described as particularly significant because oil shipments passing through the waterway accounted for about one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption during the first half of 2025. The analysis also notes that more than 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade transited the strait during the same period.
It argues that disruptions to these sea lanes affect energy security, industrial production, food supplies and global trade far beyond the Middle East, enabling regional instability to generate worldwide economic consequences.
The report says current responses have focused primarily on naval deployments that protect commercial vessels, escort shipping and intercept attacks. While acknowledging the importance of such missions, it argues that military operations alone cannot dismantle the financial, commercial and logistical networks that sustain maritime threats.
The analysis identifies four principal pillars of the existing maritime security framework. The first consists of multinational naval partnerships such as the Combined Maritime Forces, which conduct surveillance, escort missions and defensive operations across areas including the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea.
It also highlights the European Union’s ASPIDES naval mission as an example of coordinated defensive cooperation, noting that it provides protection for shipping without constituting a broader international political mechanism.
A second pillar is international law and diplomacy, including United Nations Security Council resolutions and the work of the International Maritime Organization. According to the analysis, these institutions establish legal norms and support maritime safety but lack mechanisms to coordinate implementation across defense, intelligence, financial regulation and law enforcement.
The report concludes that safeguarding international shipping requires a broader international framework capable of integrating military deterrence with economic, legal and diplomatic measures to address both attacks at sea and the networks that enable them.
