Al-Shabaab Maritime Threat

Maritime risk linked to al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Somali insurgent group, in the western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden approaches. Unlike profit-driven Somali piracy, al-Shabaab’s documented maritime activity centers on revenue from coastal taxation, charcoal smuggling through ports such as Kismayo, and illicit trafficking, with a latent risk of attacks on shipping. The group is sanctioned under UN Security Council resolutions 1844 (2008) and 2036 (2012), the latter banning Somali charcoal exports. Underwriters treat it as a terrorism and war-risk exposure distinct from the piracy peril.