Dirk Siebels is a Senior Analyst at Risk Intelligence, a Denmark-based security intelligence company where he is responsible for analysis on countries in sub-Saharan Africa. He holds a PhD from the University of Greenwich in London. His research largely concentrates on maritime security issues in sub-Saharan Africa, including the role of ports and maritime trade, IUU fishing, offshore energy production and the evolution of private maritime security providers.

Dirk has contributed to a number of research projects, including the annual State of Piracy report published by Oceans Beyond Piracy (now renamed as Stable Seas). He is an academic advisor for the Turkish Navy’s Maritime Security Centre of Excellence in Istanbul and part of the expert network for CEMLAWS Africa, a thinktank based in Accra, Ghana.

In addition to his day-to-day work, Dirk has published a book about maritime security issues in East and West Africa. He is also a regular contributor of articles and op-eds on related topics and has been quoted by general news outlets as well as special interest magazines, including BBC World News, Reuters, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Conversation and many others.