AUGUST 2026 – W.34
“We’re seeing a confluence of economic factors that have created a 21st century golden age of piracy and is reshaping supply chains, conflict zones, and transnational racketeering.”
- Jean Solman, Merrill Herzog Staff Analyst
ACTIONS
Review and update shipping route risk assessments to account for new piracy factors including attack hotspots and preferred cargoes.
WHY IT MATTERS
Newer pirates have deeper relationships with militant organizations that are trafficking weapons, technology, and information.
After a decade of rare instances of Somali Piracy, two recent events off the coast of Yemen indicate a revival of the practice despite heavily armed commercial vessels.
The Houthi and The Ciyaalsuuq
Andean South America
Digital Identity / Privacy
Travel Disruption
Operational & Logistics
Regulatory
Health Security
Border & Entry Risk
Civil Unrest / Security
Regional Escalation
The Other Ring of Fire
Southern Peru’s 6.7 magnitude earthquake damaged homes and public buildings across several districts including the capital city Lima.
WHY IT MATTERS
The earthquake has decremented road conditions in several areas and caused infrastructure damage from rockfalls and debris.
ACTION
Confirm local recovery status prior to traveling to impacted regions.
Gulf & Arabian Peninsula
Digital Identity / Privacy
Travel Disruption
Operational & Logistics
Regulatory
Health Security
Border & Entry Risk
Civil Unrest / Security
Regional Escalation
An Ecosystem of Scrutiny
Two employees from the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange were detained in UAE as part of increased global regulatory pressure.
WHY IT MATTERS
An overall uptick in governments seeking information about high-profile cryptocurrency markets is coinciding with increasingly popular extortive crimes against cryptocurrency holders.
ACTION
Assess vulnerabilities in individual and business crypto asset storage, including risk profiles of holders and mitigation options.
Mexico & Central America
Digital Identity / Privacy
Travel Disruption
Operational & Logistics
Regulatory
Health Security
Border & Entry Risk
Civil Unrest / Security
Regional Escalation
Hoping for La Nada
El Niño trade winds are fueling a global drought and are shaping up to be among the strongest on record, disrupting the Panama Canal’s vessel transit operations with low watershed.
WHY IT MATTERS
Drought-driven restrictions in the Panama Canal impact shipping corridors and national sentiment as drinking water availability falls parallel to canal waters.
ACTION
Expect longer wait times and queues along with draft restrictions, climbing slot costs, and transit surcharges.
CHINA
Digital Identity / Privacy
Travel Disruption
Operational & Logistics
Regulatory
Health Security
Border & Entry Risk
Civil Unrest / Security
Regional Escalation
Port in a Storm
July’s Typhoon Maysak has continued to impact China’s Guangxi province with flood recovery after the collapse of six dams in the city of Nanning alone.
WHY IT MATTERS
In addition to direct economic impacts, port closures, local roads, and utilities are still in recovery from the storm a month after landfall, with full recovery expected to take up to a year.
ACTION
Plan for disrupted supply chains, warehousing and manufacturing impacts rerouting automotive and heavy machinery operations during planned recovery.
Established in 2015 by former special operations and intelligence professionals. Merrill Herzog is the world's preeminent security risk advisory and crisis response firm.
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