Maritime safety and security

Maritime safety and security
The maritime industry deals with anything on the sea, including transport industries, including ships, navigation of people, import and export of cargo through the shipping services, and many other activities at sea. As such, maritime is continually dealing with ships from different countries all sailing in the same waters. Because of this, the issue of maritime security and safety has and continues to be a major concern.
Maritime security is a complex and major topic in international relations. It is unique because it extends far beyond the safety of the people on board the ships and safe work practices. But even with many countries showing their concern in the matter, there is still no consensus on what exactly entails maritime. This is because maritime security is not one single action or entity, but rather, it is the relationship of various concerns that affect the industry in general. These concerns range from poor port security to the security of travelers.
Basically, when we talk about maritime security, we are talking about a wide-ranging of security concerns that affect the maritime industry in general. These concerns can be referring to cybersecurity on board ships where the technology on ships is compromised just like any other computer system on land.
These concerns can be classified into four categories: national security, human security, marine environment, and economic environment. Some of the major concerns that fall under these four categories include resilience, marine safety, sea power, and blue economy. Marine safety, for example, encompasses climate change and accidents, whereas sea power, on the other hand, highlights arms proliferation and disputes between states
Some of the major threats to maritime security and safety include
• Terrorist attacks on shipping, illegal transport, offshore installations, and other unlawful acts.
• Piracy and robbery and hijackings at sea
• Environmental threats, including pollution incidents and illegal dumping
• Threats to marine resource, including illegal and unregulated fishing in international waters
• Organized crimes like Smuggling of drugs, immigrants, and arms
Maritime safety focuses on preventing incidents that result in damage to the marine environment and death at sea. This could range from the prevention of weapons smuggling to protection against piracy at sea. Some of the approaches used in achieving maritime security entail the development of technical support systems, which involve developing methods and approaches of identifying and investigating maritime threats and accidents. Besides, maritime safety also promotes search and rescue programs in ports and emergency-based activities.
References
Bueger, C., & Edmunds, T. (2017). Beyond seablindness: a new agenda for maritime security studies. International Affairs, 93(6), 1293-1311.
Bueger, C., Edmunds, T., & McCabe, R. (2020). Into the sea: capacity-building innovations and the maritime security challenge. Third World Quarterly, 41(2), 228-246.
Ryan, B. J. (2019). The disciplined sea: a history of maritime security and zonation. International Affairs, 95(5), 1055-1073.