Maritime Security Services for Cargo Ships and Commercial Vessels
- R&H
- 1 day ago
- 12 min read
In January 2026, the International Maritime Bureau reported 137 incidents against ships in 2025 — up 18% from 2024 and the highest level in five years. Four vessels were hijacked, 121 boarded, firearms were used in 42 cases (up from 26), and 25 crew members were kidnapped. While Q1 2026 saw incidents drop to 16 — the lowest first-quarter figure since 1991 — the IMB stressed that “continued vigilance is essential.” The threat hasn’t disappeared; it has shifted, concentrated, and in some corridors intensified.
R&H Global Protection provides armed maritime security, PCASP teams, and intelligence-led protection for commercial vessels and fleets operating in high-risk waters. Founded by former IDF Special Forces and Shin Bet operatives, the firm delivers vessel protection, port security, and crew safety planning where deterrence directly impacts insurance exposure, crew welfare, and cargo integrity.
This is not generic private security at sea. Maritime protection requires strict compliance with legal frameworks, rules on the use of force, weapons handling, flag-state approvals, and coordination with UKMTO, MSCHOA, and NAVCENT — standards R&H operates to.
The Current Maritime Threat Picture
The 2025–2026 environment is shaped by three overlapping risks that don’t show up in a single regional report.
Southeast Asia remains the global hotspot - Of 137 incidents in 2025, 95 occurred here. The Singapore Strait alone saw 73 (Jan–Sep), the highest since 1991, before arrests cut activity. Most attacks are night boardings for stores and spares, but weapons featured in 55% of cases, with guns in 33% — the highest since 2017.
The Gulf of Guinea remains the kidnap-for-ransom centre - Twenty-one incidents were recorded in 2025 (vs. 18 in 2024). Heavily armed groups continue to abduct crews far offshore — still the most violent piracy profile affecting tankers and bulkers.
Somali capability persists - Activity is low but not gone. Incidents in late 2025 and early 2026 confirm pirates retain long-range reach — over 1,000 nautical miles — putting Indian Ocean routes back within scope.
The Red Sea is in a temporary pause - No Houthi attacks since October 2025, but over 100 strikes in the prior two years disrupted global shipping and forced rerouting. The current calm is political, not structural.
Bottom line: the threat is selective, increasingly armed, and returning faster than protection is being reinstated.
Who Hires Maritime Security
The firm works with operators who cannot treat a boarding, kidnapping, or ship loss as an acceptable commercial outcome.
Shipping companies and fleet owners - deploying bulkers, tankers, container ships, and general cargo carriers through the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean HRA, Gulf of Guinea, Singapore Strait, and Bab el-Mandeb. Protection is often a charter-party requirement.
Commodity traders and charterers - moving iron ore, crude, LNG, refined products, and grain through contested routes. Cargo value combined with voyage-specific risk often makes armed transit the only defensible insurance posture.
Yacht and superyacht owners - transiting between the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Asia — particularly during seasonal repositioning. UHNW principals on board shift the threat profile from cargo theft to targeted boarding.
Offshore energy operators - running supply ships, crew transfers, and fixed assets in the Gulf of Guinea, Mozambique Channel, and parts of the Eastern Mediterranean where piracy, theft, and state-adjacent harassment all feature.
Fishing fleets and specialist ships - operating off East Africa, West Africa, and in contested zones where unarmed private security is the default and where Israeli-led hardening provides meaningful uplift.
Insurance and P&I clubs - retaining R&H directly or through brokers where war risk and kidnap & ransom underwriters require independent on-board security as a condition of cover.
Flag states, port authorities, and logistics operators - who need audit, assessment, or incident-response support rather than a continuous on-board team.
Private Maritime Security Company for Commercial Shipping
Protection at sea is not a side-service bolted onto a land-based guarding business. It is a separate discipline with its own legal architecture, weapons-handling regime, insurance interface, and operational doctrine. Most of the incidents that make headlines — the Magic Seas and Eternity C sinkings in July 2025, the Houthi-era missile strikes, the Somali long-range hijack returns in late 2025 — happened on ships where either no protection was embarked, or where protection was nominal rather than credible.
R&H Global Protection is purpose-built for this work: bulkers, tankers, container ships, LNG carriers, general cargo, RoRo, and offshore supply. The operating model rests on four fixed points.
Operator pedigree - The primary armed team is Israeli-led — former IDF naval, Shayetet 13, and international PMSC veterans with Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean HRA, and Gulf of Guinea experience. Weapons discipline and rules-of-force training are measured against the standards that apply to state operators, not contract guards.
Regulatory compliance - Every deployment is structured around ISO 28007-1:2015, BMP5, flag-state PCASP approval (Marshall Islands, Liberia, Panama, Malta, Cyprus, Bahamas), and port-state weapons approvals. Contracts are issued on BIMCO GUARDCON where applicable.
Insurance alignment - Documentation is written to the standard that war risk underwriters, P&I clubs, and K&R insurers expect — not retrofitted after the fact when a claim becomes contentious.
Intelligence integration - Every voyage is prefaced with a corridor-specific threat assessment drawing on open-source maritime reporting (IMB, ReCAAP, UKMTO, MSCHOA) combined with R&H's own regional intelligence. Deployments are adjusted in real time where the picture changes mid-voyage.
This is what separates a private maritime security company capable of handling a fleet contract from one that sells day-rate guards.
Operational Scenarios - Maritime Protection
Gulf of Aden Maritime Security Teams — HRA Transit
A standard Suez–Salalah or Djibouti–Colombo transit. R&H deploys a four-man PCASP team from Djibouti, Galle, or Port Louis, with weapons drawn from licensed floating armouries. The team conducts ship hardening (BMP5 checks, citadel readiness, razor wire), runs crew drills, and maintains 24/7 watch. Continuous coordination with UKMTO and MSCHOA is maintained until safe disembarkation.
Gulf of Guinea Armed Guards — Tanker Protection
For West Africa operations (e.g., Lomé to Port Harcourt), the primary threat is kidnap-for-ransom by heavily armed groups. R&H provides armed teams integrated with Nigerian Navy-approved platforms where required, ensuring full legal compliance inside territorial waters. Pre-arrival procedures include citadel drills, communications protocols, and crew accountability.
Singapore Strait Anti-Boarding Security — Anchorage
At high-risk anchorages like Singapore OPL, where boarding incidents remain frequent, R&H deploys unarmed guards (as required by law) for continuous patrols, access control, and early warning. The focus is deterrence and disruption before boarders gain access.
Red Sea Vessel Security — Yacht Transit
For private yacht repositioning (e.g., Suez to Southeast Asia), R&H provides low-visibility teams combining maritime and close protection. Embarkation, weapons handling, and routing are managed under flag- and port-state approvals, aligned with the owner’s discretion requirements.
Incident Response and Hijack Recovery
In boarding or detention scenarios, R&H coordinates with flag states, naval forces, insurers, and crisis teams. Support includes crisis communication, proof-of-life protocols, and negotiation assistance — recognising that effective maritime security depends as much on response capability as on prevention.
Legal Framework for Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel
Armed maritime security operates within a defined international legal structure — and credible PMSCs are built around it.
The core standard is ISO 28007-1:2015, developed following guidance from the International Maritime Organization. It sets requirements for companies deploying armed guards at sea and rejects informal or self-regulated models.
Operational procedures follow BMP5 (Best Management Practices), used across the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean. This governs ship hardening, citadel use, watchkeeping, and reporting — and is referenced by UKMTO and MSCHOA.
Flag-state approval determines if armed teams can embark and under what rules (e.g., Marshall Islands, Liberia, Panama, Malta, Cyprus, Bahamas).
Port-state approval controls where weapons can be loaded or offloaded — making floating armouries in the Gulf of Oman and Red Sea operationally essential.
Coastal-state law applies inside territorial waters. In jurisdictions like Nigeria and Indonesia, armed private security is restricted, requiring coordination with licensed local or state-approved platforms. In international waters, the vessel’s flag state governs.
R&H operates with Israeli-trained teams supported by licensed local partners where required — ensuring full legal compliance across all operating corridors.
Armed Guards for Ships in High-Risk Areas
The Indian Ocean HRA, Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb, southern Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Somali Basin are corridors where armed protection becomes operationally necessary. They share the same profile: long exposure during transit, capable non-state threats, and flag-state frameworks that permit PCASP deployment.
In these zones, an armed team is the final layer of deterrence. R&H structures deployments around three principles:
Graduated response. Detection, warning, deterrence — and defensive fire only as a last resort under flag-state rules. The objective is simple: no shots fired. A visible, disciplined team is usually enough to redirect a threat.
Layered hardening. Armed protection works alongside BMP5-level measures: razor wire, citadel readiness, controlled lighting, and physical barriers. By the time a boarding attempt reaches the deck, multiple defensive layers should already be in play.
Weapons integrity. Firearms are sourced from licensed floating armouries or approved facilities, with full chain-of-custody, end-user certification, and onboard documentation. This is what separates a compliant, insurable operation from a liability.
Team size is adapted to vessel, route, and risk level — typically four operators for a 3–7 day transit, scaling up for higher-risk corridors or high-value cargo.
Maritime Security Services
Armed Vessel Protection Teams — PCASP Guards for Vessels
Three- and four-person armed security teams for cargo ships, tankers, and bulkers on HRA transits. Operators are former IDF naval, Shayetet 13, and international PMSC veterans. Weapons drawn through licensed floating armouries; full chain-of-custody documentation; flag-state and port-state compliance managed end-to-end. Clients engage for a single voyage or for PCASP coverage across a full charter rotation on the same contracting standard.
Unarmed Maritime Security Teams
Deck watch, anchor watch, access control, and early-warning teams for ports, anchorages, and jurisdictions where armed protection is not permitted. Used extensively in Singapore, Indonesian waters, and inside port limits globally, and suited to charter-party-driven security requirements.
Ship Hardening and BMP5 Compliance
Pre-voyage physical hardening — razor wire, water cannon integration, citadel assessment and construction, bridge ballistic protection, lighting and CCTV assessment, and full BMP5 gap analysis and remediation across every fleet unit under contract.
Intelligence and Route Risk Assessment
Voyage-specific intelligence products covering piracy activity, state and non-state threats, port security, local political risk, and corridor-specific operational advice. Delivered pre-voyage and updated during transit.
Crew Training and Drills
On-board training in citadel procedures, emergency communications, anti-boarding drills, and hostage-survival awareness. Delivered to STCW-equivalent standard and tailored to the specific ship and route.
Port Security and Facility Audits
Security audits of port facilities, terminals, and shore-side logistics hubs. ISPS Code gap analysis, supply-chain security assessment, and recommendations calibrated to the operator's risk profile.
Crisis Response and Post-Incident Support
Incident response coordination with naval forces, flag-state authorities, insurers, and P&I clubs. Support to crisis managers during hijackings, detentions, and piracy incidents across cargo, tanker, and bulker operations. Debrief and lessons-learned documentation.
How to Hire a Maritime Security Company
Hiring a serious maritime security provider is not about headcount on deck. It’s about intelligence, legal compliance, operator pedigree, and response capability — the factors that matter when conditions deteriorate.
In practice, protection is tied to commercial and insurance frameworks: charter party clauses, war-risk underwriters, transit cover requirements, and P&I club guidance all shape the standard. R&H structures its documentation and deployments to meet these expectations from the outset.
The process is structured and fast. A request is submitted with vessel details, route, cargo, crew profile, and insurance position. R&H then issues a corridor-specific risk assessment and deployment plan covering team size, embarkation points, armoury logistics, and flag-state approvals. Contracts are aligned with BIMCO GUARDCON where required, and teams can typically mobilise within 48–72 hours depending on the corridor.
Hire Maritime Security Teams for Cargo Ships
For operators ready to move from assessment to deployment, the process to hire maritime security teams for cargo ships is handled directly by the firm's operations desk. There are no intermediaries, no subcontracting of the primary armed team, and no surprises at the weapons-approval stage.
What shipping companies need to provide:
Ship particulars (IMO number, flag, type, DWT, freeboard, speed)
Voyage details (load and discharge ports, intended route, ETA to HRA entry)
Cargo profile and charter-party security clauses, if any
Insurance position (war risk underwriter, P&I club, K&R cover)
Preferred embarkation and disembarkation points
What the firm returns within 24 hours:
Corridor-specific threat assessment
Proposed team size, composition, and operator profiles
Floating armoury arrangement and flag-state approval confirmation
Fixed-price quote with itemised pass-through costs
Draft GUARDCON-aligned contract for review
Mobilisation timeline:
Pre-booked transits: scheduled two-to-four weeks in advance for optimal armoury and flight coordination
Expedited deployments: 48–72 hours from signed contract to embarkation
Emergency response: case-by-case, prioritised over scheduled work
Clients running recurring voyages, multi-ship fleets, or charter-in/charter-out operations typically move to a framework agreement covering a defined number of transits per year at preferential rates. This model also shortens mobilisation times and locks in operator continuity — the same team rotating through the same fleet, which is what clients with serious exposure tend to require.
Pricing — How Much Does Maritime Security Cost?
Maritime security is priced per team, per day, with rates reflecting corridor, armament, team size, and voyage duration. All prices are indicative — voyage-specific quotes are issued on assessment.
Service | Indicative Pricing (USD) |
Four-operator armed transit team (HRA) | $4,500–$6,500 per day |
Three-operator armed transit team | $3,500–$5,000 per day |
Unarmed ship security guards (anchor/port watch) | $1,800–$3,000 per day |
Ship hardening and BMP5 audit | $4,000–$9,000 per ship |
Floating armoury fees, transit insurance, and crew repatriation costs are passed through at cost. Longer voyages and fleet contracts attract volume pricing.
Geographic Coverage
The firm provides merchant ship protection and maritime security services across the corridors where credible threat persists:
Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, Gulf of Aden
Indian Ocean High Risk Area, Arabian Sea, Somali Basin
Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf
Gulf of Guinea — Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea
Mozambique Channel and East African coast
Singapore Strait, Malacca Strait, Indonesian archipelago
Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea approaches
International Coordination
The firm operates globally. Maritime deployments are coordinated across multiple hubs to ensure compliance, mobilisation speed, and intelligence integration.
Tel Aviv. Headquarters and operations centre. Intelligence analysis, team selection, and command coordination for all maritime contracts.
Djibouti. Primary embarkation and disembarkation hub for Gulf of Aden and Red Sea transits. Floating armoury coordination and UKMTO liaison.
Galle, Sri Lanka. Southern gateway for Indian Ocean HRA transits. Weapons handover and team rotations for eastbound voyages.
Port Louis, Mauritius. Southern Indian Ocean coordination, Mozambique Channel deployments, and long-haul transit support.
Lagos. Gulf of Guinea operations base. Liaison with Nigerian authorities and coordination of approved armed-platform arrangements in the EEZ.
Piraeus. Greek-flag and Greek-owned fleet support, Mediterranean operations, and insurance-broker interface.
Singapore. Southeast Asia coordination, unarmed anchorage deployments, and Malacca Strait intelligence monitoring.
Dubai. Strait of Hormuz operations, Persian Gulf support, and regional logistics hub.
Why Clients Retain R&H Global Protection
Founded by former Israeli security professionals — IDF Special Forces and Shin Bet
Operational experience across 35+ countries
Deployments aligned to ISO 28007 and BMP5 industry standards
Coordination with UKMTO, MSCHOA, NAVCENT, and flag administrations
Discreet operations delivered by Israeli-led teams paired with licensed local partners where required
Corporate, commercial, and UHNW clientele across shipping, commodities, and private yachts
Contact R&H Global Protection
Available 24/7 for urgent vessel protection, transit planning, and incident response.
Email: info@global-protection.net
For high-risk voyages, charter-party compliance requirements, or fleet-level security contracts, contact the operations desk directly to arrange a confidential assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions — Maritime Security Company
How much does it cost to hire a maritime security company?
An armed four-operator HRA team typically costs $4,500–$6,500 per day, plus additional costs such as floating armoury fees and transit-related insurance. Final pricing is always issued per voyage following a corridor and vessel assessment.
Can R&H provide armed guards for ships on commercial routes?
Yes. R&H deploys PCASP teams on cargo ships, tankers, bulkers, and container vessels in international waters under flag-state approval. Operations follow ISO 28007 and BMP5 standards, with weapons sourced through licensed floating armouries and full documentation provided.
What is the difference between BMP5 and ISO 28007?
BMP5 outlines vessel-level security measures such as hardening, watchkeeping, and anti-piracy procedures. ISO 28007-1:2015 governs how maritime security companies operate — including training, vetting, command structure, and weapons management. Professional providers comply with both.
How quickly can R&H deploy a maritime security team?
Mobilisation is usually 48–72 hours, depending on the route, embarkation port, and armoury availability. Planned transits are scheduled in advance, while urgent deployments can be prioritised where required.
Which corridors require armed vs unarmed protection?
High-risk international waters (Indian Ocean HRA, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea) typically require armed teams. In Singapore and Indonesian waters, only unarmed guards are permitted. In the Gulf of Guinea, armed protection inside territorial waters is delivered through approved government or navy-linked platforms.
What happens if a ship is boarded despite protection?
Teams follow a graduated response: detection, warning, deterrence, and — only if necessary — defensive force under flag-state rules. At the same time, authorities such as UKMTO are notified, citadel procedures may be activated, and R&H’s crisis response function coordinates with naval forces, insurers, and the vessel’s operators.
Can R&H align with war risk, P&I, and charter party requirements?
Yes. R&H regularly operates within frameworks set by war-risk underwriters, P&I clubs, and charter party clauses. Documentation and contracts are structured accordingly, often aligned with BIMCO GUARDCON standards.
Are R&H's maritime operators Israeli or local?
Both. The core teams are Israeli-led, typically with naval special operations and PMSC backgrounds, supported by licensed local partners where required by law or port-state conditions.
Do you provide security for private yachts as well?
Yes. R&H provides maritime and close protection for superyachts, particularly during repositioning between the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Southeast Asia. Low-profile deployments are standard.
Is the Red Sea safe for commercial shipping in 2026?
The Red Sea remains a conditional environment. While attacks have paused since late 2025, official advisories still warn of ongoing risk. Exposure varies by vessel profile and affiliation, so routing and protection decisions should be made per voyage with current intelligence.
Last updated: May 2026 — reviewed by senior R&H operatives, including former Israeli naval, special operations, and maritime-security personnel with operational experience supporting cargo vessels, commercial shipping operators, offshore-energy assets, high-value cargo movements, sovereign-linked maritime operations, and executive transit aboard commercial and private vessels across the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Gulf, Indian Ocean, West Africa, and wider international maritime environment.
