Journal of Defense Management
Open Access

Short Note on Maritime Security

Ion Herman^{* *}Correspondence: Ion Herman, Department of Public Administration & Management, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium, Email:

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Description

Maritime security is a particular field in the marine sector, and the safety officers must employ best practices to defend their vessel against both the internal and external threats. These threats come in many forms, and each requires a different strategy for a proper defense. Security perils are not always malicious, but maintaining vessel safety is a persistent priority. Maritime security is a overall term for the protection of vessels both internally and externally. The areas from which cruise liners and maritime operations need protecting include terrorism, piracy, robbery, illegal trafficking of goods and people, illegal fishing and pollution. Since 9/11, there has been an increased focus on protecting the marine sector from the terrorism and the other similar attacks, both in port and at sea. Several state and the international organizations have formed to help set standards for bettering maritime security. Since the marine sector is so vast and the massive amount of the goods entering the country is difficult to screen, every precaution possible to minimizing the malicious exploitation is critical. Security is not only the job of the vessel safety officers, but the job of the crew as a whole, which is why it’s so crucial for companies to educate and train their employees so their containers have a better chance of stopping security threats. Security officers not only need to be attentive to prevent attempts to undermine the nation’s laws and security, but they also need to know how to be vigilant against local and internal threats. Small-scale attacks can still be dangerous to a marine company and can result in the loss of lives, severe environmental damage or harm to company property. Here are the few of these types of risks.

Thievery

When transporting valuable goods and resources, there are sometimes attempts at the local level to steal these goods from the vessels. Security officers need to be vigilant for this reason both in port and at sea, to make sure the valuable and the sensitive cargo is secure.

Trespassing

Security officers must make sure that when their vessel is in the port, no unauthorized personnel come aboard and tamper with the sensitive equipment. Even if the documented crew members carry out the vessel operations correctly, a trespasser can tamper with cargo rigging and other sensitive gear, which can lead to the severe consequences at sea.

Large-scale security measures concern things that can happen on an international scale, usually as the result of the more malicious operations than individual crimes, like terrorism, environmental crimes, smuggling and trafficking.

Terrorist threats

Modern advances in the telecommunications and the international commercial logistics have increased the range and avenues open to terrorists. Criminals sometimes attempt to use marine shipping channels to transport the dangerous weapons and the materials.

Terrorists use the transportation avenues because they can move goods and even people to the advance their cause, and the marine shipping industry is a prime target. They use shipping industries in the attempts to damage global, political and the economic security, as well as the safety of citizens. Security officers must be vigilant and the knowledgeable about the pathways terrorists can use to attack. Since the maritime shipping sector is by nature an international business, marine professionals must do everything they can to protect their vessel and the country from these kinds of threats.