Bridget Diakun
Maritime Risk Analyst, Lloyd's List Intelligence
Bridget Diakun joined Lloyd’s List Intelligence in January 2022 as a data journalist. She initially worked on understanding the impact that the war in Ukraine had on commercial shipping in the Black and Caspian seas.
In 2023, she was named 'Multimedia Journalist of the Year' by the Seahorse Freight Association for her extensive investigation into the trade out of the occupied ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk.
Now a Maritime Risk Analyst, Bridget focuses on the intersection of geopolitics and commercial shipping. She assesses the impact of conflict on seaborne trade, how the maritime industry adapts to sanctions and investigates tactics used by vessels to disguise illicit activities.
Latest From Bridget Diakun
Houthis deploy new weapons to secure first direct hit in Indian Ocean
UPDATE: Analysis of a video circulated by Houthi following the attack suggest that a Shehab drone may have been used against MSC Orion, suggesting that significantly more accurate weapons with a range of up to 1,600 km are now being used to target ships
Red Sea traffic stable at new ‘normal’ despite spate of attacks
Those not willing to accept the risk of a Houthi attack have diverted and those that remain are likely going to continue sailing the shipping lanes off Yemen regardless of how the situation develops based on behaviour to date
Ukrainian grain exports rebound as ship arrivals near pre-war levels
Fears rose over global food supply when the original Black Sea grain export corridor expired in July 2023. That threat has been averted. The number of bulker arrivals has surged and Ukraine has been able to maintain its exports
Why increasing North Korean shipments have sparked sanctions scrutiny concerns
Deepening diplomatic ties between Russia and North Korea has increased clandestine maritime oil-for-arms trades between the two states, but that comes as Russia is seeking to end UN scrutiny of sanctions compliance and illicit maritime activity
Houthis poised to ramp up Red Sea attacks following recent lull
Whether naval operations have degraded Houthi capabilities or the Iran-backed militants were simply regrouping, the latest warnings suggest that a resurgence of attacks targeting vessels in the Red Sea is imminent
Where do Russia’s sanctioned ships trade?
Sanctions are a key tool for Western governments to damage Russia’s economy. The US has been actively targeting ships and, while this successfully forces changes in behaviour, many vessels are still able to do business freely, thereby revealing the limits of these restrictions