World’s Maritime Transportation System

Question

There are multiple threats vectors to the world’s maritime transportation system (MTS) and their associated ports from small boat attacks to the possibility of CBRNE attacks. For this forum I want you to consider what these threat vectors are, what challenges are present in detecting these concerns and what security/industry at all levels are doing to address them. I am looking for a holistic answer that considers this issue from the strategic, operational and tactical level.



Additionally, in your response you need to consider the impact and importance of the development of Mega Ports the widening of the Panama Canal and the increased use of the western rivers of the United States as a means of moving large quantities of hazardous chemicals.



It is imperative that you consider both man-made and natural threats to the MTS. What do I mean by a natural threat? Every heard of the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ)? If you have not look it up? Consider what would occur if the zone had a major shift…how would impact goods and services being moved on the rivers? These are all threat considerations….

Instructions: Your initial post should be at least 500 words. Please respond to at least 2 other students. Responses should be a minimum of 250 words and include direct questions.

Answer

The movement of goods and services around the world is important for the growth of the world’s economy. Maritime transport is one of the major links in the global transport chain (Mikulski, 2010). Transportation of heavy cargo majorly depends on sea transport. This being a major link in the transport chain, it also has to consider people’s safety, the environment, and the kind of vessels used for transportation. Both natural and artificial threats face the world’s maritime transport system which affects sea transport services and the economy of many countries.

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To begin with, the maritime transport system is faced with a terrorism threat (Richardson, 2004). Terrorists have started taking advantage of the maritime trading system to hide weapons as they are transported to various parts of the world. They have also been using this trading system to fund the terrorists operation taking place worldwide. It is hard to detect the smuggling of weapons because the terrorists disguise the package so that it seems legal. For instance, the Al-Qaeda used to hide weapons below sesame seeds as they transported weapons by sea. To solve this problem, governments have enforced serious checking of cargo in ports. They have also tried to dismantle the terrorist rings which are disguised as business so that they can smuggle weapons and fund terrorist activities. By doing this they have reduced the terrorism threats facing the maritime transport system.

            In addition, the maritime transport system is faced by the threat of drug trafficking and human smuggling (Bakir, 2007). Many drug cartels have use the maritime transportation system for drug trafficking. People have also been smuggled in countries as cargo transported through sea transport. The drugs are usually hidden in the legal goods being transported worldwide thus making it hard to detect drug trafficking. To reduce the impact of this threat, the containers are screened at the ports to determine its contents. This has helped in the detection of drugs and people being smuggled through the sea ports.

            The maritime transportation is also facing many natural threats which change in the tide and weather conditions in the ocean.Harsh weather conditions may affect transport schedules hence late delivery of cargo. The ships may also capsize due to the harsh weather conditions. This leads to huge losses to shipping companies and the owners of the goods being transported. Natural threats cannot be controlled by man therefore, people in this business should find a way of working in relation to expected weather changes.

Creating mega ports and widening ports and expansion of the Panama Canal comprise some of the effective measures aimed at increasing the capacity of cargo being transported by sea, particularly hazardous materials. This is important because it helps in the growth of the economy of a country through increased import and export trade. The expansion of the Panama Canal has helped in ensuring it remains competitive in the global freight market (Mitchell, 2011). The expansion of the canal has helped in the reduction of traffic since it can be able to accommodate larger vessels. This has led to increased growth of the world’s economy due to increased imports and exports.

            Use of water transport is cost effective since more cargo can be transported. However, some of the materials transported over the water can be hazardous to people and the biological environment. The western rivers in the United States have been used in the transportation of hazardous chemicals. With cautious handling of the chemicals, this might not pose a threat to the environment. However, if leaks or accidents occur, the chemicals may be released into the water causing water pollution. In addition, the waterlife is affected since these chemicals are likely to kill the fish and water plants. People using the water from these rivers may also be affected by the chemicals. Therefore, transportation of hazardous chemicals through water bodies should be discouraged.

            In conclusion, maritime transport system is important to the economy of the world. It faces man made threats such as terrorism, drug trafficking and human smuggling. In addition, natural threats such as weather changes which also affect the transport system. The government and players in this industry have tried to control these threats through activities such as screening the containers to ascertain their content.Since the maritime transport system is important to the world’s economy, measures to curb illegal activities that may affect the transportation of cargo in and out of various countries should be prioritized.

References

Bakir, N. O., (2007). A Brief Analysis of Threats and Vulnerabilities in theMaritime Domain.Non-Published Research Report.

Mikulski, J., (2010). Transport System Telematics: 10^th Conference, TST 2010. Poland: Springer.

Mitchell, C., (2011). Impact of the Expansion of the Panama Canal: An Engineering Analysis. Web.

Richardson, M. (2004).A time Bomb for Global Trade: Maritime-related Terrorism in an Age of Weapons of Mass Destruction.