Maritime Security

An Introduction

Michael McNicholas

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9780128036730
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Information Management
• Index: Business

Maritime Security: An Introduction, Second Edition, provides practical, experience-based, and proven knowledge - and a "how-to-guide" - on maritime security. McNicholas explains in clear language how commercial seaports and vessels function; what threats currently exist; what security policies, procedures, systems, and measures must be implemented to mitigate these threats; and how to conduct ship and port security assessments and plans. Whether the problem is weapons of mass destruction or cargo theft, Maritime Security provides invaluable guidance for the professionals who protect our shipping and ports. New chapters focus on whole government maritime security, UN legal conventions and frameworks, transnational crime, and migration. Updates throughout will provide the latest information in increasingly important field. - Provides an excellent introduction to issues facing this critical transportation channel - Three all-new chapters, and updated throughout to reflect changes in maritime security - Increased coverage of migration issues and transnational crime - New contributors bring legal security and cybersecurity issues to the fore

1

Commercial Seaports and Strategic Maritime Passages in Transformation

Abstract

Over 85% of the food we eat, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, and the items in our houses and offices are transported via maritime transport to commercial seaports around the world, for delivery to you, the end consumer. In this chapter, we review the primary types of seaports—container, bulk cargo, nontraditional, and cruise terminals—and the operations of, and equipment and technological systems utilized in these port. Likewise, we look at the various private sector stakeholders which manage or operate within these seaports. We also discuss changes to, and the resulting significant impacts of, expansion of the Panama Canal and Suez Canal and, due to climate change, the evolving transformation of the Arctic Passages, and the implications and opportunities to commercial trade.

Keywords

Arctic Passages; Container; Crane; Intermodal; Panama Canal; Seaport; Stakeholders; Stevedore; Suez Canal; Terminal

Objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be familiar with

1. The functioning and operations of and equipment utilized in container terminals, bulk cargo terminals, cruise terminals, and nontraditional terminals;

2. The roles and activities of key private-sector stakeholders, including terminal owners, terminal operators, stevedore companies, and longshoremen;

3. The impact and role of the development of the container and intermodalism;

4. Changes to shipping and seaports due to the expansions of the world’s two key Canals—the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal;

5. The impact of the transformation of the Polar Passages—and potential benefits and challenges.

Introduction

The human love affair with the ocean is one that has existed since man first laid eyes on the waters that lay before him. The great seas provided man with mystery and intrigue. The oceans presented a backdrop for stories that served as entertainment and the foundations of religions. The conveyances used to cross first the rivers and then the oceans facilitated international trade and commerce, connected cultures and peoples, and made the world a smaller planet.

The evolution of what we now call the modern shipping industry began small like all things in this world do. The first seagoing traders did no more than cross rivers and float with the flow of the waters. However, with this foundation, man began to thrive. One small village may have possessed an item that another village needed. This prompted traders to bring their goods to different locations along the river in order to trade their items for the items of others. These villages soon became popular trading spots and attracted people from far-away places. The travelers often brought items that had never before been seen in that particular region. These towns became the foundations of our modern ports. Underneath some of the world’s busiest and most modern seaports lie the ruins of these simple yet effective cradles of capitalism.

As oceangoing technology increased, seafarers became more and more bold. They went further and faster in the race to bring trade to the far corners of the world. Each new vessel arrival brought new languages, merchandise, and products. This often led to conflicts and man’s ability to use oceangoing vessels as machines of war increased. As the need for protection against military vessels increased, seaports became bases of operations rather than simply trading posts. As technology grew and time marched on, these “bases” became a part of a network of commerce with trade lanes that radiated from ports like the spokes of a wheel. An infrastructure was established and fortunes were made via this ever-expanding spider web of trade.

This chapter focuses on the development, operations, and functioning of the primary variations of the modern commercial seaports, as well the equipment utilized, and changes in the world’s two key Canals and the Polar Passages.

Commercial Seaports

If you compared modern commerce to the human body, the shipping lanes would be arteries and veins; ships and intermodal vehicles, the blood; their cargo, the nutrients; and the seaports, the all-important organs. The shipping industry operates in many of the same ways as the human body. There are some periods of rest, but very rarely does the flow of cargo stop. Vessels arrive into ports at all hours of the night, which requires many people to be awake and ready to service the vessel. The seaport’s support to the vessels and preparations for cargo operations in the port begin many hours prior to the vessel’s arrival dockside.

Approximately 6 hours from arriving at the sea buoy (also known as the pilot station), a vessel’s captain will begin to initiate contact via VHF radio (contact is made on channel 16, and the pilot dispatcher will switch to the local working frequency). Notice of arrival is given, and the dispatcher provides the vessel with boarding information, including appropriate speed and the side of the ship that the ladder is to be located. The position of the pilot ladder is determined by the wind, tide, and direction of the swell. Pilots are taken onboard via special-platform boats simply referred to as pilot boats. A harbor pilot is a specially trained navigator. He is tested on the local characteristics of the many different factors and variables required to properly navigate from the sea buoy to a safe berth. Once the pilot is onboard, he assumes “the con,” or control of the vessel. The captain of the vessel gives up control but does not relinquish overall responsibility of the vessel during this time. As the pilot carefully guides the vessel to the berth, he is in constant communication with tugboats, which provide the vessel with additional steerage capability by connecting to the vessel with large ropes or lines called hawsers. Once the vessel nears the berth, the crew connects the ship’s mooring lines to smaller lines which are thrown down to line handlers. The line handlers physically maneuver the lines to bollards attached to the dock which are used to secure and hold the vessel in place. Typical mooring patterns include a total of eight lines, but the patterns will vary according to currents and tidal fluctuations. Once the ship’s crew lowers the gangway, vessel agents employed by the vessel charterer or owner will come aboard with customs and immigration officials in order to clear the vessel to go to work. Vessel security personnel hustle into place to prepare for the identification and search procedures of individuals boarding the vessel. While this process takes place, stevedores, longshoremen, and company representatives stand by for clearance to begin the arduous process of discharging the vessel.

This whole sequence takes place in a very limited amount of time, and the plasma TV sitting in a container at the bottom of a stack of containers on board the vessel has not even been moved toward its final destination: your living room. Countless hours of preparation and planning have gone into this process. Millions of dollars’ worth of equipment and man-hours are expended with each and every arrival of every product from orange juice to jet fuel. All of this began with just a simple phone call, purchase order, or Internet search. It is hard for many to comprehend the vast number of resources that are poured into this venture in order to keep the supply chain flowing and further expand the network of commerce. The key component in this process is the commercial seaport, which serves as a launching point for the advancement of supply and demand.

Container Terminals

The development of the modern container—the most efficient, safe, and flexible method to transport cargo across the ocean and land—was a watershed event in maritime transportation and served as a catalyst for the evolution of seaports from only handling break-bulk and bulk cargoes and vessels to also—or exclusively—receiving and loading cargo containers. Today, the majority of cargo transported around the world is via containers, and major ports have dedicated berths and terminals for container handling and staging. And, like the ships that arrive, terminals continue to grow in size and complexity. The largest container ports in the world are a reflection of where goods are produced and key gateways of the consumers. So, it should not be surprising that of the largest (measured by container throughput) 14 container ports i...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• About the Author
• Contributors to This Edition
• Contributors to the Previous Edition (on Whose Chapters This Book Is Based)
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Commercial Seaports and Strategic Maritime Passages in Transformation
• 2. Modes of Maritime Transport
• 3. Documentation, Financial Transactions, and Business Entities in Commercial Maritime Transportation
• 4. International and U.S. Maritime Security Regulations and Programs
• 5. Vulnerabilities in the Cargo Supply Chain
• 6. Perils of the Seas: Piracy, Stowaways, and Irregular Migration
• 7. Drug Smuggling via Maritime Cargo, Containers, and Vessels
• 8. Targeting and Usage of Commercial Ships and Port by Terrorists and Transnational Criminal Organizations
• 9. Cyber and Information Threats to Seaports and Ships
• 10. A Strategic Blueprint for World-Class Seaport Security
• 11. Threat Mitigation Strategies
• 12. Security Management and Leadership in Seaports
• 13. A Networked Response to Maritime Threats: Interagency Coordination
• 14. Legal Authorities for Maritime Law Enforcement, Safety, and Environmental Protection
• Index