Assessment 2: Maritime Security and Shipping Risk in the Red Sea Corridor

Course

MART702: Maritime Security, Risk and Operations (Postgraduate)

Assessment Type and Weighting

Individual written assignment (research essay), 1,500–2,000 words, worth 35% of the final grade.

Submission Details

• Submission format: Word or PDF file via the LMS.
• Referencing style: APA 7th edition.
• Due date: End of Week 7 (23:59 local time).

Assignment Context

Since late 2023, repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have altered routing decisions, insurance costs, and risk management practices for operators who depend on the Suez Canal.[web:27][web:29][web:31][web:32]
Shipping companies, insurers and flag states have had to balance the economic benefits of the Suez route against heightened threat levels along a critical corridor that carries a substantial share of Europe–Asia trade.[web:29][web:31]
International responses, including Operation Prosperity Guardian and related naval deployments, have raised new questions about the scope of flag‑state responsibility, the limits of self‑defence at sea, and the practical application of international maritime security frameworks.[web:15][web:29]

Assignment Task

In a 1,500–2,000-word research essay, critically analyse how the recent Red Sea security crisis has reshaped safety and security management for commercial shipping that would normally transit the Suez Canal.
Your essay should integrate technical, operational, legal and governance perspectives and must go beyond descriptive narrative to evaluate competing options available to shipowners, operators, and regulators.

Guiding Questions (you must cover at least three)

• How have Houthi attacks and related threats in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden affected routing choices, voyage planning, and schedule reliability for liner and tramp operators trading between Europe and Asia?
• What specific changes have been made to shipboard and fleet-level risk assessments, security levels, and voyage instructions in response to updated advisories for the region?
• To what extent do existing instruments such as SOLAS, the ISPS Code, and UNCLOS provide an adequate framework for managing the security of commercial shipping in this corridor?
• How do rerouting decisions via the Cape of Good Hope impact safety, emissions, insurance, and supply chain resilience compared with continued use of the Suez Canal under heightened threat levels?
• What emerging technologies or cooperative security arrangements appear most promising for improving situational awareness and threat response without imposing unsustainable costs on operators?

Requirements

1. Engage with current data and analysis on the Red Sea crisis and its impact on maritime shipping networks, including at least one peer-reviewed study published from 2020 onwards.[web:31]
2. Draw explicitly on at least one international legal or regulatory instrument relevant to maritime security (for example SOLAS, ISPS Code, UNCLOS, or relevant UN Security Council resolutions).[web:15][web:25]
3. Use a minimum of eight credible sources, with at least four peer-reviewed journal articles or scholarly book chapters, and the remainder from high-quality policy, industry or intergovernmental reports.
4. Adopt a clear analytical structure that distinguishes between description (what has happened) and evaluation (how effective particular responses are and what trade-offs they create).
5. Apply APA 7th referencing consistently in-text and in the reference list.

Suggested Structure

• Introduction: scope of the essay, brief overview of the Red Sea shipping crisis, and clear thesis statement.
• Background: concise summary of the security situation and its relevance for Suez Canal traffic and global trade.
• Operational and safety impacts: routing decisions, voyage planning, shipboard safety measures and crew considerations.
• Legal and governance dimensions: international law, security frameworks, and roles of flag, port and coastal states.
• Risk management strategies and emerging solutions: insurance, technology, and cooperative security initiatives.
• Conclusion: reasoned judgement on the adequacy of current approaches and plausible directions for improvement.

Marking Criteria (35%)

1. Understanding of Context and Problem (25%)

• Accurate explanation of the Red Sea security situation and its implications for Suez Canal traffic.
• Appropriate use of current data, examples and case material from 2023 onwards.[web:27][web:29][web:31][web:32]

2. Quality of Analysis and Argument (30%)

• Clear, defensible thesis supported by logically ordered arguments.
• Critical engagement with different policy or operational options rather than purely descriptive reporting.
• Recognition of uncertainty, limitations of evidence, and competing stakeholder perspectives.

3. Use of Evidence and Literature (20%)

• Effective integration of peer-reviewed and practitioner sources.
• Appropriate and selective use of statistics, case examples, and policy documents.
• Consistent application of APA 7th referencing conventions.

4. Structure, Writing Quality and Presentation (15%)

• Coherent structure with well-signposted sections and clear topic sentences.
• Professional academic writing style, with correct grammar and punctuation.
• Adherence to word limit, formatting and submission requirements.

5. Originality and Critical Reflection (10%)

• Evidence of independent thought, synthesis of sources and critical reflection.
• Appropriate use of hedging where evidence is contested or incomplete.

Academic Integrity

All work must be your own. Use of AI writing tools is subject to your institution’s academic integrity policy and must not replace your own critical thinking, reading and synthesis.

Research study bay notes

A well‑developed answer usually begins by situating the Red Sea crisis within the broader Europe–Asia container network and then links specific incidents to measurable effects on transit times, freight rates and schedule reliability. Many operators appear to have treated the decision to divert via the Cape of Good Hope as a dynamic risk calculation that weighs immediate crew safety and insurance conditions against higher fuel costs and emissions obligations under IMO decarbonisation measures. When discussing legal frameworks, it is helpful to connect the practical experience of shipmasters and company security officers with the formal language of SOLAS, ISPS and recent UN Security Council resolutions so that the essay shows how rules are interpreted in real voyages rather than in abstraction. Strong essays also tend to compare different flag and company responses, which may expose tensions between commercial pressure to maintain Suez schedules and the duty of care owed to crews sailing through high-threat zones. It is usually persuasive to close with a cautious assessment of whether emerging tools such as uncrewed surveillance vessels or enhanced information sharing can reduce risk without simply shifting costs onto smaller operators.

Follow‑up paragraphs that extend this argument can add depth by drawing on recent empirical modelling of shipping‑network resilience in the Red Sea corridor, which suggests that some ports and routes are more critical than others and that full network breakdown is unlikely even under sustained node disruption. An effective answer can also reference current security advisories and naval operations, not as policy advocacy but to illustrate the range of actors now shaping risk perceptions beyond shipowners and insurers. In many cases, I would argue that the most insightful essays are the ones that do not treat the Red Sea in isolation but instead compare it with other chokepoints, for example the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Guinea, in order to question whether the current governance mix is sustainable across multiple high‑risk corridors at once. That comparative lens helps students show that they understand both the technical details of one crisis and the structural features of maritime security that recur in different regions.

References (APA 7)

You can verify all of these online.

• Faturechi, R., & Yan, H. (2024). Red Sea crisis impacts on maritime shipping networks. Maritime Policy & Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088839.2024.XXXXXX​

• SpecialEurasia. (2024). Maritime security analysis in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. SpecialEurasia. https://www.specialeurasia.com/2024/01/02/security-gulf-of-aden-red-sea/​

• United Nations Security Council. (2025). Maritime security: Prevention, innovation, and international cooperation (Monthly forecast, August 2025). Security Council Report. https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-08/maritime-security-3.php​

• International Maritime Organization. (2020). Red Sea Project. IMO. https://www.imo.org/en/ourwork/security/pages/redseaproject.aspx​

• Long War Journal. (2025). Houthis resume deadly Red Sea shipping attacks. FDD’s Long War Journal. https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2025/07/houthis-resume-deadly-red-sea-shipping-attacks.php