Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy

by Matthew Campbell, Kit Chellel

"A triumph of investigative journalism." --Tom Wright, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Billion Dollar Whale

Truly one of the most nail-biting, page-turning, terrifying true-crime books I've ever read. --Nick Bilton, New York Times bestselling author of American Kingpin

From award-winning journalists Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel, the gripping, true-crime story of a notorious maritime hijacking at the heart of a massive conspiracy--and the unsolved murder that threatened to unravel it all.

In July 2011, the oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso was drifting through the treacherous Gulf of Aden when a crew of Somali pirates attacked and set her ablaze in a devastating explosion. But when David Mockett, a maritime surveyor working for Lloyd's of London, inspected the damaged vessel, he was left with more questions than answers. How had the pirates gotten aboard so easily? And if they wanted to steal the ship and bargain for its return, then why did they destroy it? The questions didn't add up--and Mockett would never answer them. Soon after his inspection, David Mockett was murdered.

Dead in the Water is a shocking expose of the criminal inner-workings of international shipping, told through the lens of the Brillante hijacking and its aftermath. Through first-hand accounts of those who lived it--from members of the ship's crew and witnesses to the attacks, to the ex-London detectives turned private investigators seeking to solve Mockett's murder and bring justice to his family--award-winning Bloomberg reporters Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel piece together the astounding truth behind one of the most brazen financial frauds in history.

The ambitious culmination of more than four years of reporting, Dead in the Water uncovers an intricate web of conspiracy amidst the lawless, old-world industry at the backbone of our new global economy.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Business, Crime, History, Audiobook, Maritime

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2022

About the author

Matthew Campbell is a reporter and editor for Bloomberg Businessweek and the co-author of Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy. He has reported from more than 20 countries, covering crime, corruption, terrorism, climate change, and technology, among other topics. Matthew’s work has been recognized with some of the highest honors in journalism, including Gerald Loeb, Overseas Press Club, and Society of Publishers in Asia awards for feature reporting. A graduate of Yale and Oxford, he lives in Singapore with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2011, the Billiante Virtuoso, a 900 foot long 160-foot-wide 53-foot draft tanker full of oil, was apparently attacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Yemen. But years of investigation finally proved something very different happened. The authors, journalists for Bloomberg, turned their reporting into this book detailing a crime in the complex world of shipping, the ambiguous laws that govern it, the insurers who make a living off it, the sailors who man the ships, the owners who amass fortunes from it. The book published in 2022 covers events right up to publication.

The book is true crime: Setting a ship on fire at sea, murder in Yemen, and a seemingly unsolvable case. Investigative frictions ensue: private investigators vs criminals, private investigators vs insurers, private investigators vs police, private investigators vs owners and others in the shipping industry and their connections. It’s a maze that takes a decade to untangle. Finding out who actually owns a ship is nearly impossible. There are numerous layers of shell companies and mystery directors. But there is not just the owner to find, the ship is run by a separate operations management company, the crew vetted and supplied by a different company, a separate owner of the cargo whose identity can also be hidden by layers of shell companies. Then there is the country where the vessel is registered, another where it is flagged, the country where it is located and those through whose waters it passes. The Billiante Virtuoso was registered in the Marshall Islands, flew a Liberian flag, had a Greek owner, a British insurer and was attacked off the coast of Yemen and subject to international law. When something goes wrong everyone denies responsibility, points their finger at the others and hides behind the laws or lack thereof that best suit their purpose. This story is bigger than the fate of a single ship or single crime. The world is at the mercy of ocean shippers in a fragile supply chain. For a different but complimentary look at the dangers of life at sea check out The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier.

The shipping insurance industry gets a lot of scrutiny from the authors, in particular Lloyd’s of London which insured the Billiante Virtuoso. Lloyd’s, bound by tradition and custom, is a collection of syndicates of individual insurers. Lloyd’s insures almost anything and it caters to the shipping industry. Multiple syndicates consisting of hundreds of individuals and companies may insure or reinsure a single ship and/or its cargo to spread the risk. Often there are separate insurers of the cargo and ship. The relatively small portion each individual insurer stands to lose makes it easy to settle cases and move on rather than get into a lengthy costly court battle under arcane British laws regarding maritime fraud. The insurers are averse to asserting fraud afraid it will drive down business and anger ship owners although the insurer can never be certain who the real owner is. Nobody knows how many shipping “accidents” are really insurance fraud. Most cases are likely not reported. The insurers don’t track it and often choose not to investigate. At a minimum it’s costing billions of dollars.

This could be made into a great movie far more dramatic than the book with its frequent digressions (although I found them interesting). All the elements are there: A mysterious explosion at sea attributed to Somali pirates, a British ex-pat living in dangerous Yemen investigates, sees evidence of fraud, dies soon after in a car bombing, a second connected British ex-pat dies mysteriously, sailors afraid for their lives if they say anything, insurers deeply suspicious but afraid to take on a shipping company, and a pair of ex-cop private investigators, one a savvy searcher of the web tracks down leads, the other gritty streetwise experienced handling dangerous situations. They work for years making progress in fits and starts with contacts in Yemen, Philippines, Greece and UK, a world-wide search for witnesses and informants. They are hamstrung by the insurers they work for. The British police whose investigation is secret tell them to stand down. Potential witnesses and informants and their families are threatened with their lives. On top of all that there is legal drama as a case goes forward eight years later in 2019 to declare a fraud and allow insurers not to pay. Just keeping witnesses and informants on board through the trial is suspenseful in the face of threats from ruthless people who have already killed the first investigators. It could be an intense and compelling narrative.

[CarolG · Rating 4 out of 5]

In July 2011, the oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso was drifting through the treacherous Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen when a crew of Somali pirates attacked and set her ablaze in a devastating explosion. But when David Mockett, a maritime surveyor working for Lloyd's of London, inspected the damaged vessel, he was left with more questions than answers. Soon after his inspection, David Mockett was killed in a car bombing.

When I started listening to this audiobook, I knew next to nothing about the shipping industry, about Lloyd's of London, or about the maritime insurance business. I haven't even seen the movie Captain Phillips which is referenced in the book but I think I might search it out sometime when my husband's not around (he's not a fan of Tom Hanks). I learned a lot about all these subjects and I'm in awe of the people who unravelled the real story. What a convoluted investigation. Kudos to the two authors who laid the whole story out so that it was easy for a layperson to understand. As I mentioned in an earlier update, Derek Perkins, the narrator, has the nicest posh British accent and did a fantastic job. I felt like I was watching a BBC documentary.

Thanks to Libby via London Public Library for the loan of this audiobook.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very informative on the history of shipping and how it moves goods around the world. The story darkens when it gets into pirates overtaking the Brillante Virtuoso oil tanker and making big problems before taking off. The plot just keeps thickening from there, as investigations and more investigations are kicked off. There are deadly consequences for one man, hired by Lloyd’s of London regarding the incident. There are deeper things afoot in this maritime true crime case with larger implications. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Martyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never written a review and I’m a bit pissed but that’s how fucking unreal this book is. Straight fire 🔥🔥🔥 10/10 Kobe from the line. It has fraud it has pirates, somebody dies and I’m ducking gripped. Absolute wapper to finish in 3 days just ashamed it took me that long. Read it, tell your mothers tell your brothers tell your neighbours counsins sisters cat. ITS A BANGER

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wild book. First of all I didn't know anything about the shipping industry. It's crazy to think about how much stuff moves around the world in a day. And hearing about the conditions workers on these ships are subjected to was really eye opening. And then we get to the actual controversy! This book is well written. I especially like the interviews with people close to the case. I would recommend this book for fans of exposes like Bad Blood or Fyre Fraud.

[Cheenu · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those, read in a single sitting books. Gripping, shocking, outrageous and a bunch of other emotions you'll go through as you read it.

Written in the style of Bloomberg's famed long form articles, Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel do an excellent job at researching this incident and summarizing it in an engaging manner.

They were also really brave for taking on the reporting of this incident and should be commended for that.

It also is a very insightful look into the Byzantine world of maritime shipping and the shipping insurance business.

Not much else to say without disclosing massive spoilers but this is a fantastic read and gets a strong recommend from me.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It got a little dry in some places, but considering it's a book largely concerned with maritime insurance policies, it's honestly really impressive that it was only dry in some places. The ending was extremely unsatisfying, but you probably can't blame the author for the way real life events played out.

[Erin]

Giveaway Win!

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long-form journalistic writing at its absolute best! This pair is one of my top favorite journalists and so I was not surprised by how incredibly well-written this book is. This and Sakura obsession are my favorite nonfiction books this year, so far.

The whodunit is also a howwdunnit that is the stuff of fiction --but what really makes this book shine is the deep dive into cargo shipping as well as how the Greeks continue to rule in shipping in the world. They pay special attention to the historical Greek role in cargo shipping, the history of Lloyds of London (that was news to me), as well as modern piracy in general.

Characterization and plot were done so well it really read like a thriller novel.

The only topic I would have loved more of is about the horror cargo shipping, offshore manufacturing, and mass consumerism has been on the environment. It is not only the ships themselves which are so unbelievably polluting and carbon producing but it’s created a new consumer model built on exploitation and high carbon footprints. Kim Stanley Robinson was so right to put a focus on this in his recent novel Ministry of the Future.

Anyway, this book was like a master class in writing the BEST nonfiction. And I think it is true that journalists continue to write the best books.
Highly recommend this one.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

** Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to wait for this book to be published so I could get the audiobook. I am so glad I did because 1. the narrator was absolutely amazing, and 2. the ARC was close to be unreadable and would have taken me three times as long [if not more] to try and read it. I was frustrated over that, but grateful I was able to get an audiobook. **

This was a really good book. I knew very little about shipping and all that it entails and while I had heard of the pirates that haunt the shipping world, I had never really read anything about them and the trouble and consequences they bring. This was quite the education and I am very glad I read this.

There were times of real frustration as the cover-ups kept going, the rich just kept walking away [and continue to do so, which is infuriating] and people died. All to get insurance money. There were parts that were so sad that I could hardly bear it for the families involved and I know they will somewhat heal, but they will never lose all the trauma that they went through and continue to go through.

If you love good nonfiction and are fond of true crime that will both knock your socks off and frustrate the heck out of you and have been even a teeny bit intrigued by shipping and piracy and theft, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it [as well as the audiobook - the narrator for this was superb].

Thank you to NetGalley, Matthew Campbell, Kit Chellel, and PENGUIN GROUP Portfolio for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Karan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written very well. Some dry points in the book, as lots of the book goes in depth into the maritime insurance industry which can really go over a head or two.
But the story was interesting.

You could have guessed what happened from pretty early on in the events described. But for a historical non-fiction it was pieced together well to get a comprehensive understanding.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. RIP David Mockett.

[Jingyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a read!!! The best nonfiction, weaving together an massive explosion in Yemeni waters and the operations of the global shipping industry. Some facts about the latter that stood out to an economist:

1. How on earth was the insurance plan designed that insurers seem so eager to pay out claims that seem obviously fraudulent?

2. So so many players making a shipment happen! The owner of the ship, the management company, the crew, the insurers, the owner of the cargo, the tax authorities, the salvors…

3. What do nations even mean when you can so easily register a ship under the Libyan flag, or even under an inland country’s, to avoid having to obey more stringent laws

4. The Pakistani yard where old ships were sent to be taken apart and recycled. One of the worst work conditions globally. Humans taking apart a tanker… can you imagine? Developing countries doing the dirty work and having to pollute the environment at the same time

5. The global shipping crew is overwhelmingly Filipino, Indian and Indonesian, because you can pay them much less than what you need to pay others

[Melodi | booksandchicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've known about pirates along the Yemen and Somali coast and their dangers to boats large and small. This little story becomes a MAJOR story of intrigue and things are not what they seem.

Pirates get access to a large cargo ship, but leave relatively quickly without any hostage situations...interesting...then a fire begins. The ship was abandoned and crews went to put the fire out and tug her back to port.

Then investigations begin--that are still ongoing! They weren't actually pirates, but this was all a scheme with the intent to....but wait, one of them men investigating is murdered...what is going on.

I felt that the book was a bit drawn out, not all that interesting in its storytelling and actually perhaps easier to just read articles on the internet about? Fascinating story though! Curious to see where things end.

[Mei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew that insurance was so interesting? I really enjoyed this informative narrative non-fiction. This book is also so descriptive that I frequently caught myself describing the people in it as characters. In addition to learning about the shipping industry and investigating the murder of David Mockett, a highlight for me was learning the origin of the word “underwriting.”

[Sally Summersgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really intriguing book on the fraud and crime of the brilliante virtuoso ship. The authors keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s devastating to believe this happened so recently and is true.

[Paul Nylund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book for many reasons: well-researched, well written, and an epically fascinating true story about a corner of the economic world that I and many others know little about. Pirates, fraud, murder, and more, it’s almost unbelievable if not for the preponderance of the evidence presented so well by this book.

[Hal Issen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have an accute interest in what I call Incident Forensics, books that analytically dissect an historical event from multiple disciples to uncover the pattern of independant factors that combine and result in an unexpected and undesired consequence. I appreciate the insight into different professional fields, in this case Maritime Insurance, the economics of flags of convenience and modern commercial shipping, and the political implications that resulted from the vestiges of Imperialism. The major thrust of this book is a murder mystery that officially remains unsolved, left unexplored is how the institutions of the global marketplace could have prevented it (for example, if Lloyd's of London required more information before issuing insurance). My review is a much more ponderous read than the book, which moves along like an article from The New Yorker or Atlantic, it is clearly the work of professionals writing for a mass audience. My father was a deck officer in the Merchant Marines and only shipped on the USA flagged container ships, an industry segment that is now economically uncompetitive due to stringent safety requirements. Shipping has always been inherently hazardous, and this book illustrates how greed can result in death in the shipping industry. Left unexplored is how we as consumers are complicit; we all enjoy the benefits from cheap consumer goods made overseas and transported to our markets by inexpensive labor. Perhaps we should consider how we are exploiting the citizens of 3rd world and developing countries.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute stunner of a book, where long-form journalism shines at its finest. In a world full of fake news and low-quality news used to capture eyeballs, true journalism where facts are meticulously checked become the rare but lasting gems. This is not only a memorable book given the absurdity of events unfolded, the writing, which has the history of insurance and shipping industry being well incorporated, is itself a great standout.

I have no doubt the writers hoped their expose would have sprung the regulatory bodies into action, as good journalism usually do. I hope the Mockett’s family will one day get the justice that is owed to them. But cynicism and the practical reality suggest the frauds get to live on, unharmed.

Would 100% recommend the book. It opens up your eyes to the shipping industry like no other. It reads like a thriller but is ever more terrifying given the scale and magnitude of the damages, having affected so many in such a profound way. And for those curious of the insurance bullpen at Lloyd’s, this is also an essential read.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my but this is a dark book. When we see a ship little do we know the murky depths that may well lurk both above and below the water line. This book is first a testament to the fact that good investigative journalists still exist in our culture of fluff journalism.

Matthew Campbell is to be congratulated for his relentless search and then recording of the events of one ship and its fate. Who knew the intricate dance of insurance companies, the multitudinous links and threads that all connect to a seagoing vessel?

The human cost of being connected to a ship are too numerous to list. Let’s say for every sailor aboard a ship entire villages of families, shipping magnates, lawyers, accountants and salvage crews are all linked in an intricate dance. Those that select and play the music are both nefarious and live in a world of shadows.

I learned so much by reading this book. I invite you to take a similar voyage.

[Prachi Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was about to give complete 4 ⭐️, but did not due to some of the facts narrated with a hint of inherent bias and some unnecessary and over dramatization of events. But hands down a very informative book on insurance, fraud, and helps make shipping (which is 90% of world trade) interesting to people and educates them on the same.
I have been a shipping lawyer for 5 years now and would’ve loved if practice of marine insurance was taught and demonstrated through such interesting cases.
Also, the reference to the ship recycling industry in India and Pakistan as worlds most dangerous is racist and wrong. Please do more research on the industry and not be lazy and read NGO Ship- Breaking platform blogs which are funded by the European lobby. In 2022, it reeks of white supremacy and authors such as yourself should not be out of depth when it comes to investigative journalism.

[Prathamesh Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far one of the best books i have ever read. I had zero no knowledge about maritime trade or what goes on at sea in those huge cargo vessels. The book is a narrative about the events that took place in 2011, and the years to follow, when a 20ton oil tanker was lost at sea due to an apparent attack from pirates. The events leading to that fateful day has led to the discovery of one of the most daring maritime insurance frauds ever attempted. The book has detailed the inner workings of the shipping and insurance industry. Highly recommend it to other readers(not if you are a greek).

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an exciting story! Very rare that I can’t put down a piece of non-fiction, though I guess it’s very much true crime. I found it dragged a bit at the end, but generally so good. Also the lawyers were painted quite floridly as villains which I found quite funny. Learnt a lot about the shipping industry generally - so interesting

Ps- this would have previously been a 4, but I’ve decided to make fuller use of the 5 star system, allowing myself lots of 5’s.

[Liam Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting writing style that made this non-fiction read more like a novel which I enjoyed. Last few chapters were v interesting, especially the Afterward. However, the first 60 odd percent was often dull and drawn out, making it difficult to get into and leaving me wanting. Therefore I can’t legally give more than 3 stars without Lloyds holding back on my life insurance.

[Audrey Approved · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly engrossing read, esp. considering this is mainly about maritime insurance fraud!

[Kate P. from the Bachelor]

Doesn’t pass the Bechdel test but, okay, yes, the insurance industry is very exciting!

[Allison]

DNF nick just told me how it ends haha

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ocean is absolutely without law and order. They mix like oil and vinegar.

This book tells the story of one very complex incident of a ship at sea that resulted in its sinking and the death of an insurance estimator. Ultimately, it appears to have ended very negatively for the innocent, especially the reinsurer.

This is a book about the above incident and its ensuing judicial case that is so complex, it bogged down the book.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start got draggy to the end

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. Parts of it read like a thriller, some parts of it dragged a little, but for a book that is about insurance fraud at its core, it's VERY interesting.