Maritime Security Requirements for Shipping Companies and Ports: Implementation, Importance and Effectiveness

Abstract

In the aftermath of the 9/11 event in 2001, maritime security has become one of the main issues on the international maritime agenda, with a strong orientation on anti-terrorism actions. Since that time, a significant number of various regulations in the field of maritime security have come into force and imposed a long list of compulsory and voluntary maritime security requirements on shipping companies and ports. Existing data show that not all of these requirements are generally implemented. One of the reasons is the lack of resources needed for the implementation of those requirements, another is the misunderstanding of their importance. Besides, some of the implemented requirements may be found ineffective in achieving their intended goals. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to identify the security requirements imposed on shipping companies and ports, to investigate which of them are generally implemented, and to explore the perceived importance and observed effectiveness of these requirements. To achieve the expected objectives, a comprehensive literature review of maritime security regulations and relevant literature was done to compose a detailed list of requirements for shipping companies and ports, and in-depth structured interviews with industry professionals have been conducted to obtain the information about the existing situation in their organizations. The findings of the study showed that majority of listed requirements were implemented in interviewed organizations. Several of the compulsory requirements were found not important or not effective for security improvement, however they were implemented because of their mandatory nature. Meanwhile, some of the voluntary requirements were not implemented, if they were found unimportant or ineffective by the organizations. Moreover, the different interviewees’ opinions about the importance and effectiveness of some security requirements can lead to a conclusion about different approaches chosen for security management in the organizations. Additionally, as collateral results, this paper provides some proved impacts of implementation of security requirements on the organizational performance of shipping companies. These findings have both academic and managerial implications. They can be useful for researchers working on the related topics, for security mangers in shipping companies and ports, as well as for regulatory bodies when considering changes in maritime security related documents.

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