FT reports sharp rise in demand for anti-drone protection for ships
In short
Financial Times reported a sharp increase in demand among shipping companies for services protecting vessels from drones, amid attacks in the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf, according to Russian outlets citing the report. TASS said most requests came from companies involved in oil and gas shipping, and Kommersant said oil and gas cargo carriers and firms working near offshore energy infrastructure showed particularly strong interest. Kommersant also cited International Maritime Organization figures of more than 20 sailors killed in the Persian Gulf and about 30 in the Black Sea this year, and a rise in Strait of Hormuz tanker freight rates from about $79,000 a day in September 2025 to $1.2 million.
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Financial Times reported a sharp increase in demand among shipping companies for services to protect vessels from drones, Kommersant and TASS reported, citing the FT. The report attributes the rise to attacks in the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf. Kommersant said oil and gas cargo carriers and companies operating near offshore energy infrastructure showed “especially strong interest”, while TASS said the largest number of requests came from companies involved in oil and gas shipping. RIA Novosti also reported that demand had risen sharply. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Israel-based D-fend Solutions said it faced “huge demand” from the shipping sector, according to Kommersant. The company’s marketing director, Jeffrey Starr, said shipowners, shippers and navies are facing an asymmetric threat that “is no longer limited to zones of intense combat”. Kommersant also cited D-fend Solutions chief executive Richard Gill as saying that a competitor, Drone Defence, received more requests from owners of oil tankers and gas carriers because protection would let owners “choose more risky routes”. [ 2 ]
Kommersant cited International Maritime Organization estimates that more than 20 sailors have been killed by drone and missile strikes in the Persian Gulf since the start of the US and Israeli war against Iran, and that about 30 people have been killed in the Black Sea this year. The FT reported that tanker freight costs for passing through the Strait of Hormuz reached a historic high: voyages to China that cost about $79,000 a day in September 2025 rose more than 15-fold to $1.2 million by last week. [ 2 ]
Kommersant noted that protecting ships does not turn a dangerous route into a safe one, and that even naval escort reduces but does not eliminate damage to crew and cargo, meaning the presence of security alone does not guarantee that merchant ships will return to the route. Security companies, it added, cannot cover the full range of threats; the article text provided is cut off at that point. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The report points to drone attacks on shipping spreading beyond active combat zones and reshaping costs and routing for oil and gas cargoes, including through the Strait of Hormuz. It also indicates that shipowners are treating protection as a commercial purchase rather than a guarantee of safety, since Kommersant notes that naval escorts reduce but do not remove risk to crews and cargo.
Key facts
- Financial Times reported a sharp rise in demand for services to protect ships from drones, according to Russian outlets citing the report. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The attacks cited are in the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf. [ 2 ]
- Oil and gas shipping companies showed particularly strong interest, with TASS saying most requests came from them. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Israel-based D-fend Solutions said it faced “huge demand” from the shipping sector. [ 2 ]
- D-fend Solutions marketing director Jeffrey Starr said shipowners, shippers and navies face an asymmetric threat that is no longer confined to zones of intense combat. [ 2 ]
- According to the International Maritime Organization, more than 20 sailors were killed in drone and missile strikes in the Persian Gulf since the start of the US and Israeli war against Iran, and about 30 people were killed in the Black Sea this year. [ 2 ]
- Tanker freight costs for passing through the Strait of Hormuz rose from about $79,000 a day for voyages to China in September 2025 to $1.2 million by last week, a more than 15-fold increase. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant said protection does not turn a dangerous route into a safe one, and that security companies cannot cover the full range of threats. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Which firms the FT spoke to and how many requests they received. Kommersant attributes the figures to unnamed “representatives of profile firms”; no figures or names are given, and only one document carries this detail.
- The full range of threats that security companies cannot cover. Kommersant’s text is cut off at the point where it begins to list these threats, and no other document addresses it.
- Whether the protective services will lead shipowners to return to riskier routes. Kommersant quotes D-fend Solutions chief executive Richard Gill saying owners could “choose more risky routes”, but no shipping company or authority confirms such a shift.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS publishes an item on the FT report, saying most requests come from oil and gas shipping companies. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant publishes its account of the FT report, including D-fend Solutions comments, casualty figures and Hormuz freight rates. [ 2 ]
- RIA Novosti publishes a headline saying demand for drone protection for ships has risen sharply. [ 3 ]