Maritime security requirements Essay

oceanic warranter refers to the tribute go gameed to the shipping industry in a rural bea. It refers to the measures taken by the government to ensure that the mien, the employers, the employees as swell up as the equipments in the ports argon well watch over from brats which verbalism them. The ports feeling risks which may arise collectible to unlawful acts done on them or even on the persons stationed in them. Strategic planning to cub either uncertainty is thus essential for the well creation of a solid ground and its citizens. The shelter of a awkward like the United States is dependent on the certificate of the worlds oceans.There atomic number 18 contrary forms of threats which face the nautical credential. To get through maritime credential, it is thus zippy to combine the efforts of both the public and private sectors glob eachy. oceanic warrantor may to a fault be used to refer to the comprehensive security for the international shipping which s tarted function on July 2004. It forms part of the IMOs activities. This is a security practice enter which is exercised in ports which is meant to compliment the international ships and the port equipments security.The IMO/ILO inscribe was tooled to offer security for the whole port atomic number 18a and was approved in skirt 2004. IMO is an acronym for international maritime organization while ILO refers to the international labor organization. IMO code of practice is non binding and should not replace the laws and regulations of a dry land. It does not affect the computer memoryamental rights and principles of the hiters as provided by the ILO document or the workers b anformer(a)(prenominal) to the ports or terminals and even the watercrafts. The IMO is thus used to provide guidance to section countries on how to deal with matters relating to security in the ports.It too helps in identifying a governments roles and responsibilities as well as for those of the employ ers and their employees (Pugh, 1994). The principal(prenominal) quarry of the formation of the code of practice relating to security on the ports was to enable both the stakebe arrs including the government minimize the risks which may be incurred by the port due to unlawful acts in the port. It was besides intended to provide a greenness basis of approach to security on ports amongst affiliated states. This code in addition sought to extend the bea reach outed by port security to include the whole port.Threats and measures used to combat maritime security oceanic hazard has been on the rise for the past few years with terrorists employ this field of view to attack most countries. This has called for strict measures to ensure such(prenominal) attacks are subvertd or eliminated. For maritime security to be attained, a itemize of plans consume to be put in place to address the contrary forms of maritime security. These plans form the basic necessarys for successful at taining of maritime security. unmatched of the plans which are bouncy is a national plan to create and achieve Maritimes celestial sphere knowingness.After creating a national awareness, a international integration of intelligence is important and hence its plan. A genius field may not be in a position to agitate and lead to maritime security thus the need to cooperate with former(a) countries. Other plans are the maritime infrastructure plan and the maritime security plans. The security plans includes the transportation plan, the commerce plan and the facilities plan. Before the formulation of these plans, the country needs to discover the threats which maritime environment faces (Hawkes, 1989).For a country to explain the measures it has to take to attain maritime security, it needs to evaluate the threats the oceans are overt to which in turn affect the countries stability. Different countries have adopted different measures to ensure that their ports are safe. The most common threats that face the oceans include the threat to the maritime security it ego. Todays maritime environment is mark by complexity and ambiguity thus making it embarrassing to harbor and protect it. This is more pronounced in the maritime environment.This is enhanced by the operations carried unwrap at the sea which exposes the countries to acts of terrorism. These kinds of attack are more dangerous and pure military fills may not be potent in press tabooing them. They thus require other measures and the countries ex pose to such threats must thingumajig looks to combat them. Advancement in telecommunications and the elaboration of the international and moneymaking(prenominal) logistics have led to an increase in the rake and in addition the effects which arise due to the terrorist attacks. They have made it thinkable to enter even the borders considered to be most secure with great fixedness and for greater distances.Terrorists take advantage of such capabili ties and cause great damage globally and similarly in the political and economical environment (Higgie, 2005). Maritime sports stadium could overly be used to export illegal goods to other countries thus seance a threat to the other country. Strict measures are thus required to cub this and to ensure that all transported goods are of eminent standards and are not harmful to the citizens in a country. Terrorism acts are rampant in the maritime acres. Fighting these threats is becoming more difficult since different terrorist groups from different countries have joined together due to the amend telecommunications.They also operate under the shadows thus making it hard to date them. Cooperation amongst the share states is required to maintain maritime security. The increasing international swop done the maritime domain has also led to increased maritime related culpable activities. Such activities include smuggling of drugs and weapons to or out of a country. People smugg ling has also been on the rise in the maritime domain especially in areas characterized by heavy commercial seas activities. In countries with unstable political environment, this is more rampant.Illegal immigration through the sea has been rampant in the recent past thus posing a major threat to maritime security and also to the economic and political stability of a country (Pugh, 1994). The main objective for the countries approach by these maritime threats is to eliminate or reduce the activities which pose these threats. One of the major steps towards preventing the terrorist attacks and other criminal and unlawful acts is through ob attend and controlling or patrolling the maritime borders. High seas areas which are of national beguile should be safeguarded.Detecting and stopping criminal activities in front they are committed is the main aim of the countries exposed to maritime threats. To be legal in detecting the threats to maritime security, the country has to be awa re of the threat and have detective capabilities. Such intimacy helps in discouragering and also defeating adversaries early plenteous before much damage have been caused (Higgie, 2005). Another objective of a country in cubing maritime insecurity is by protecting the faultfinding maritime infrastructure and also the related population centers.All the main and important infrastructures both physical and nedeucerk operations should be guarded by military facilities for security purposes. Population should also be controlled so as to make it difficult for people to collect information which could be used in committing criminal maritime acts. Overcrowding in the ports makes it easier for illegal immigration and smuggling of goods and people. The responsibility of protecting these infrastructures should be taken up by both the private and public sectors. A country should also work towards minimizing the restoration which may arise in the maritime domain.Safeguarding the maritime do main and their resources from exploitation is another aim of a country (Pugh, 1994). For a country to attain maritime security, on that point are a number of things or extremity that it has to meet. There are no international standards which have been site to control, regulate or maintain maritime security and thus a country has to set its own standards and work towards maintaining maritime securities. However, as mentioned before the international maritime organization has set guidelines which a country may apply in dealing with maritime related issues.Attaining maritime security is a continuous activity especially with the emergence of different activities which are posing threats to maritime security. worldwide cooperation and coordination is vital in achieving maritime security. information sharing and also intelligence tending are also vital in effective elimination of maritime insecurity. Public and private sectors should also work in cooperation to attain and secure mar itime security (Hawkes, 1989). The stripped-down indispensability is the acquiring of an identification gameboard of maritime security.This card shows that the holder has been checked from his background and thus bear work in the port unescorted. This card covers the seafarers and the persons working or who supply oil and gas facilities offshore. This card in general operates in the Australian waters. For one to qualify to be accustomed unmonitored access to the maritime security zone, one should not have an ill criminal record and should be a citizen. If he is not a citizen, he must have a right to work in the country. Automatic identification systems are also a requirement in maritime security.These systems are supposed to be installed on commercial vessels which are on international voyage. This may include vessels used in fish and even passenger vessels which are over 65 in space (Office of the fight Secretary, 2003). Prescreening cargo before lading is also another re quirement for attaining maritime security. All international cargos should be examined before they are allowed into a country to ascertain their safety and to eliminate possibilities of threats. Procedures to enforce action against a cargo suspected to be supporting illegal commodities or terrorists into or out of a country should be formulated.These procedures should be implemented and enforced to reduce the possibility of a repeat of the same action. Seizing cargo procedures should also be implemented and streamlined for easier confiscation of the goods or persons (Bahar, 2007). One of the vital requirements in achieving maritime security is by enhancing international cooperation amongst the member states. The oceans cover more than two thirds of the earths surface. As such, no single country can achieve maritime security on its own. Cooperation with other countries is thus a vital tool in achieving maritime security.Countries which are interested in attaining maritime security a nd are willing to fight terrorism and other maritime crime come together to device ways to combat these crimes. These countries should seek to understand the threats and prioritize them according to there urgency. Unified actions and plans are then implemented to reduce maritime insecurity (Hawkes, 1989). To enhance this cooperation, the nations should endeavor to standardize international security to ensure that all the goods and people going to a country through the maritime domain are not a threat to the citizens that country.The use of automated systems should be implemented to register maritime vessels, their ownership and also their operations. The crew in operation(p) them should also be registered as well as the cargo world transported to enhance transparency. The member states should also develop a mutual fund ensure effective and efficient implementation of measures to interdict criminals before the damages are done. The means of rapid exchanges amongst the government an d intelligence agencies should also be enforced by the law and suspected criminals should be persecuted.Streamlined procedures should also be adopted to verify vessels nationality so as to take conquer enforcement measures on time (Bahar, 2007). Another requirement for maritime security is the outside vessel security plans. This requirement has a provision that members of SOLAS are not required to produce their security plans to coast guards for their vessels to be approved. However, those who are not affiliated to this group of SOLAS have to produce their security plans before being allowed to enter into a country. Their security plan should also comply with the measures which are stipulated in the trade agreement.SOLAS is an acronym for safety of life at seas. A vessel not complying with these requirements is denied entrance to a country. This is in operation in the fall in stated (Office of the Press Secretary, 2003). Vessel security plans is also another requirement for ensur ing maritime security. All vessels are required to have security plans before being allowed to move in the American waters. This requirement however exempts vessels which carry less than one hundred and fifty passengers without considering the number of overnight passengers in the vessel.Other vessels exempted in this provision are the drilling units which are non self propelling and are operated offshore. Industrial vessels like the dredges are also exempted from the security plans provision for vessels. Facilities are supposed to come up with their individual plans for security. Exempted in this requirement are facilities which only service the passenger vessels but whose vessels do not carry passengers. Others are the public access facilities which are rigorously used for recreation and retail purposes by the public. Vessels which the public uses for entertainment and phaeton purposes are also exempted.The owners and the operators of these exempted facilities are held responsible and are supposed to implement necessary security measures. These measures are supposed to comply with the area security plan (Office of the Press Secretary, 2003). These requirements are made possible and viable by offering assistance and training to the maritime security operators. Economic assistance is also vital in ensuring that maritime security among the nations is attained. Another way that the governments have done to ensure maritime security is maintained is by expanding the international port and maritime security officer programs.This ensures that the diverse threats posed by unlawful acts are minimized and awareness is created. The number of manner attaches has also been increased (Pugh, 1994). Deploying layered security is also another requirement for ensuring that maritime security is achieved and maintained. A system of layered security ensures that the capabilities of the member governments and those of commercial interests are integrated globally. Both the public and the private sectors can help in controlling terrorism activities if they could act in concert.These two sectors may use diverse though complementary measures to eliminate the criminal acts instead of relying on the government alone. A layered approach is not a static approach but keeps on being improved. These changes serve to create uncertainty thus reducing the possibility of terrorist attacks. This approach is mainly used in the most vulnerable areas like the marine transportation sector, passenger and cargo ferrying, staff and also in conveyances. It is also effective in ports and also the route of transportation (Bahar, 2007).Maximizing domain awareness is a vital tool in eliminating threats and maintaining peace and security in the maritime environment. Understanding the trends and all the events in a domain helps to counter likely events and also the possible threats facing a certain domain. former knowledge of the threats is important for securing the security of a mar itime domain and also helps in reducing detrimental events. In trying to gain knowledge of the possible threats, the government and all the stakeholders should aim at trying to understand who their enemies are and their capabilities and also their goals.Factors influencing their behavior and also their organizational structure should be analyzed. A vital area is learning the adversarys puny points and also the centers of their gravity. This knowledge is used in planning the course of action and also in deciding and prioritizing the allocation of resources. Awareness of maritime domain thus helps in earlier identification of threats and thus prompts appropriate actions to be taken to prevent such attacks (Higgie, 2005). Conclusion Maritime security as discussed above is not only vital to the seas environment but also affects the whole country and the world in general.No single country is immune to maritime threats and as such, all the countries should work together to attain maritim e security. Creating awareness may be costly but should be advocated for to ensure that terrorist attacks and other criminal and hostile acts are recognized and deterred. forbidding measures should be undertaken by the international body concerned with maritime security on countries that collude or allow terrorist to operate from their waters. Those convicted of violating maritime security should be persecuted and heavy punishment imposed so as to deter others from engaging in similar acts.However, while dealing with matters relating to maritime security, spare care should be taken. Damages caused by criminal acts via maritime domain may be devastating thus caution should be exercised. The countries should also strive at protecting the maritime domain from exploitation so as to preserve the ecosystem of the country as well as that of the aquatic life.ReferenceBahar M. (2007) Attaining Optimal Deterrence at Sea A legitimate and Strategic Theory for Naval Anti-Piracy Operations da ybook article of Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 40 Hawkes K. G.(1989) Maritime protective covering. ISBN 087033395X. Published by Cornell Maritime Press Higgie D. (2005) Combating Terrorism Dell Higgie Surveys the International Counter-Terrorism Scene. Journal article of New Zealand International Review, Vol. 30 Office of the Press Secretary. (2003) Fact Sheet Maritime Security Requirements. Retrieved on 10th December 2008 from, http//www. dhs. gov/xnews/releases/press_release_0282. shtm. Pugh M. C. (1994) Maritime Security and Peacekeeping A Framework for United Nations Operations. ISBN 0719045630. Published by Manchester University Press