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
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
No evidence more Chinese or Russian ships transiting Bab el Mandeb
Transits of China- and Russia-affiliated ships through the Bab el Mandeb Strait have dropped as the situation has become increasingly unstable
War zone GPS jamming sees more ships show up at airports
More than 100 cargo-carrying vessels appeared to show up in Beirut airport yesterday. AIS manipulation, common in the region since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, has taken off