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For most of us, Iran and the Persian Gulf ordinarily feel far away. But as the cost of energy rises and pushes up the cost of living more widely, while markets might reflect the hope of an early resolution, it is clear that the historic enmity between the protagonists in this conflict runs deep. Whatever the surface peace, after the conflict is over, scores will continue to be settled.

In times of heightened geopolitical uncertainty and conflict, the cyber environment easily becomes weaponised, whether directly by the protagonists themselves, their proxies, or by criminals who use the fog war to increase their activity. Meanwhile, trade must continue if the global economy is to emerge from these conflicts with a reasonable prospect of returning to growth quickly. Ship owners and managers have to contend with risk and cost: increased fuel costs, the need for digitisation, and increased needs for connectivity or both crew and on-board systems, whilst navigating waters that are increasingly perilous. Threats range from hostile states trying to detain ships and disrupt shipping using both physical and electronic tactics to criminals seeking profit by exploiting crews, system vulnerabilities, or management weaknesses.

Cyber hackers want essentially one of two things, possibly both: they want to get into your system because they think they will learn something they could not find out any other way; or they want to disrupt your operations (whether or not they ask for money) because by doing so they might advance their cause.

Cyber hacking is a global issue. The losses sustained by the world economy dwarf the amount spent on protections. Hacking groups can exist anywhere. But they all share a common feature, they all need access. And most of the time, they get this through human (user) error, whether induced through social engineering or opportunistically through dark web, access brokers or other collection capability.

Hacker groups are now busy. It matters little if your vessels operate in the Persian Gulf or Red Sea, maritime is a legitimate target. If the skiffs can’t sink you, the hackers will look to cause you pain in other ways. It is in your gift to successfully resist these attacks. And although tech investment is important, it is not the only defence.

If your people are trained to recognise when something is not quite right in a system they use regularly; if they are having to complete additional steps which were not required previously; if they are being rushed to do something or if something just looks too good to be true and they do not do it, that individual might well have saved your company. Your people are the most important line of defence since they are the ones under siege. Without training, no amount of investment will protect you.

At Astaara, we understand the challenges facing shipping today, and we look forward to discussing them at Singapore Shipping Week in April. We believe insurance should do what it promises, as we confirm below the current status of our policy with respect to the conflict in the Persian Gulf.

SCISSOR Insurance

Astaara strongly recommends the adoption of the advice of the UKMTO and the JMIC in respect of transit and navigation within the approach and the safe prosecution of voyages within the Persian Gulf.

The SCISSOR Insurance program does not have a notice of cancellation built in, but Persian Gulf navigation will be a question asked during the underwriting process. 

SCISSOR Insurance does cover cyber confiscation and cyber terror risks even in H&M War Risk areas.

Astaara will be participating in the Singapore Maritime Week exhibition from 21 to 23 April 2026 at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Level 4, Hall 403-405. Our Exhibition Booth(A11) will feature a dedicated space for guests to inquire about the SCISSOR Insurance programme. The booth will be open from 10am to 6pm on all three days of the EXPO.