Naupal

Maritime security, aggregated and verified.

Naupal brings together what official maritime authorities, verified open-source researchers, and shipping press are already reporting. We don't generate our own intelligence, and we don't mark anything as confirmed until it clears our verification bar.

Free for security officers, seafarers, and the families waiting for them to get home.

Chokepoints we track

Sources checked 12 September 2026. This is a manually researched snapshot, not an automated live feed — always verify against the sources linked below before making operational decisions.

Strait of Hormuz
Persian Gulf – Gulf of Oman
Heightened

An active war between US/Israeli forces and Iran has disrupted transit since 28 February 2026. Iran has attacked, boarded, and mined shipping in the strait; the US has enforced a naval blockade on Iran-bound traffic since mid-July. A June ceasefire attempt collapsed within days. As of early September, US forces have redirected, disabled, or boarded dozens of vessels attempting to breach the blockade.

Confirmed via US MARAD Advisory 2026-004 (Tier 1); widely corroborated by wire services · Checked 12 September 2026
Bab el-Mandeb
Southern Red Sea
Heightened

Houthi forces captured the Yemeni port of Mokha in late August and, on 11–12 September, the island of Perim at the strait's narrowest point, extending control over the southern approach to the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia shut down a major oil pipeline as a precaution. Shipping through the strait remains roughly 60% below pre-2023 levels as owners continue to reroute around Africa.

Confirmed via US MARAD Advisory 2026-006 (Tier 1); widely corroborated by wire services · Checked 12 September 2026
Black Sea & CPC Terminal
Northern Black Sea
Heightened

Ukrainian drone and naval strikes on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near Novorossiysk have recurred through 2026, including a 3 September attack on a service vessel mid-repair. Tanker war-risk rates on this route have more than doubled since June to roughly $400,000 a day, and loadings have been repeatedly suspended.

Confirmed via Reuters and gCaptain reporting (Tier 3) · Checked 12 September 2026
Gulf of Aden & Somali Basin
Northwest Indian Ocean
Elevated

Piracy linked to Somali groups has resurged sharply in 2026 after years of decline. The Joint Maritime Information Center has raised its threat level off the Somali coast to severe, and several vessels hijacked since April remain under pirate control.

Confirmed via US MARAD Advisory 2026-002 (Tier 1) and IMB Piracy Reporting Centre data · Checked 12 September 2026
Strait of Malacca & Singapore
Southeast Asia
Normal

Sea robbery remains concentrated in the Singapore Strait's eastbound shipping lane but continues a multi-year decline: ReCAAP recorded 35 incidents region-wide in the first half of 2026, down 64% from the same period in 2025, the lowest count since 2019. Incidents are typically opportunistic theft rather than hijacking.

Confirmed via ReCAAP ISC half-year report (Tier 1) · Checked 12 September 2026
Gulf of Guinea
West Africa
Elevated

Long the world's kidnap-for-ransom hotspot, reported incidents fell to their lowest first-quarter level since 1991 in early 2026. A US advisory covering Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Togo remains active, citing continued risk to senior crew.

Confirmed via US MARAD Advisory 2026-009 (Tier 1) · Checked 12 September 2026

How we verify

Tier 1 — Official

Coast guards, navies, and maritime authorities: UKMTO, CENTCOM, NATO MARCOM, EUNAVFOR Atalanta, IMO, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, US MARAD, EMSA, IFC Singapore, the Djibouti Code of Conduct, and flag-state bulletins.

Tier 2 — Verified open source

Researchers who geolocate and confirm incidents independently: Oryx, OSINTtechnical, GeoConfirmed, Bellingcat, Calibre Obscura.

Tier 3 — Shipping press

Wire services and trade publications: Reuters, gCaptain, Maritime Executive, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.

Nothing is shown as confirmed unless it clears one Tier 1 source, or two independent Tier 2 or Tier 3 sources.
Read the full methodology