Maritime Geopolitics and Supply Chain Resilience – Assessment 2: Research Essay

Write a 1,800 to 2,200-word research essay that examines the maritime industry impacts of the Israel-Iran war on Gulf and Red Sea shipping routes, with specific focus on direct effects on commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and Suez Canal; vessel attack incidents; force majeure declarations; war-risk insurance surges; disruptions to energy and container supply chains; and naval de-confliction measures in high-traffic maritime corridors.

Assessment context

This task sits within the core module sequence and requires students to apply concepts from maritime chokepoint analysis and geopolitical risk assessment to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. Students must integrate primary sources such as incident reports from naval commands, insurance market data, and shipping company advisories with secondary academic and industry analysis. The essay must demonstrate how state-level conflict translates into measurable operational, financial, and legal effects across global maritime supply chains.

Learning outcomes

• Critically evaluate the direct and proxy effects of interstate conflict on commercial maritime operations in strategic waterways.
• Analyse operational and economic disruptions to shipping routes, insurance frameworks, and supply chain resilience.
• Apply principles of international maritime law to conflict-driven incidents while assessing impacts on flag states and port operators.
• Synthesise evidence from multiple sources to develop recommendations for industry adaptation in contested maritime environments.

Task instructions

Produce an individual research essay of 1,800–2,200 words (excluding title page, reference list, and any appendices). The essay must address the following required elements:

1. Outline the evolution of Israel-Iran maritime tensions since 2023, including proxy actions in the Red Sea and direct incidents affecting Gulf and Red Sea routes.
2. Examine at least two specific vessel attack incidents or related maritime security events in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, or Red Sea between 2023 and 2025, detailing the sequence of events and claimed justifications.
3. Assess the consequences for global shipping, including changes in war-risk insurance premiums, force majeure declarations, freight rate volatility, and disruptions to energy and container supply chains.
4. Discuss operational adaptations by shipping operators, effects on transit volumes through key chokepoints, and the role of naval de-confliction measures in maintaining trade flows.
5. Evaluate compliance and liability issues under UNCLOS, SOLAS, and IMO guidelines, including challenges for third-party flag states, port authorities, and overall maritime industry resilience.

Use Harvard or APA 7th edition referencing. Include a minimum of eight scholarly or industry sources published from 2018 onward. Submit via the LMS in Word format with a completed cover sheet. Late submissions incur standard penalties unless an extension has been approved.

Marking criteria

• Depth and accuracy of factual analysis of conflict incidents and maritime impacts (30%)
• Quality of critical evaluation and integration of operational, economic, and legal dimensions (30%)
• Structure, coherence, and use of evidence (20%)
• Academic writing style, grammar, and referencing accuracy (10%)
• Originality and relevance of recommendations for maritime industry resilience (10%)

Example student response

The Israel-Iran war has produced immediate and cascading effects on maritime trade through proxy attacks and heightened tensions in the Gulf and Red Sea. Commercial vessels face increased risks in the Bab el-Mandeb strait and Strait of Hormuz, leading many operators to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope and extend transit times by 10 to 14 days. War-risk insurance premiums have risen sharply while shipping lines have issued force majeure notices on contracts linked to Suez Canal passages. Naval de-confliction patrols have sustained partial traffic flows but cannot fully offset the security premium or supply chain delays. Energy shipments and containerised goods have experienced significant volatility in freight rates and delivery schedules. These developments illustrate how regional conflict directly reshapes global maritime logistics. The analysis in Challenges and Security Risks in the Red Sea (Rodriguez-Diaz et al., 2024) confirms that Houthi-linked incidents tied to the broader conflict have reduced maritime traffic volumes by more than 50 percent in affected corridors.

Similar patterns of disruption appear in earlier chokepoint crises where insurance and rerouting costs compounded over months. Modelling from the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport 2025 shows that sustained Red Sea and Gulf insecurity adds measurable pressure on global energy prices and container freight indices. Industry guidelines from the International Chamber of Shipping emphasise the necessity of real-time risk assessments that incorporate both state conflict data and proxy threat intelligence to support voyage planning and contract negotiations.

Recommended references

Bueger, C., & Edmunds, T. (2024). Understanding maritime security. Oxford University Press.

Rodriguez-Diaz, E., et al. (2024). Challenges and security risks in the Red Sea: Impact of Houthi attacks on maritime traffic. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 12(11), 1900. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12111900

UNCTAD. (2025). Review of maritime transport 2025. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Wang, Z., et al. (2024). Red Sea crisis impacts on maritime shipping networks. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2024.103512

Additional recent sources may be drawn from Lloyd’s List Intelligence reports (2024–2025) and US Naval Institute Proceedings on Fifth Fleet operations in the region.