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Global review
Over 6 billion tons of goods are traded by sea annually, accounting for over 80% of the world’s commercial trade volume. Over 46,000 vessels, carrying 12,000,000 containers, service nearly 4,000 ports throughout the world.
Great strides have been made in recent years to render the maritime sector as open and frictionless as possible, prompting greater economic growth. However the very factors that have allowed maritime transportation to contribute to economic prosperity have also left it uniquely vulnerable to terrorism and insecurity. For example, less than 4% of all containers have their contents scanned and secured and this, together with other security lapses and loopholes, leaves the maritime industry extremely exposed to multiple risks.
Maritime threats
In the aftermath of the devastating attacks of 11 September 2001, governments around the world scrambled to reassess their vulnerability to highly organized terrorist groups. This was provoked by the realization that organizations such as Al-Qaida were completely undaunted by the sacrifice of thousands of lives in order to realize their political and religious objectives.
Previously seen as a fictional threat, mega-terrorism suddenly became very real and as a consequence security agencies around the world now view the maritime transportation system as a prime soft target for future attacks.
Maritime security solutions
Due to their internationally recognized expertise in all aspects of port and maritime security, Alcyon’s consultants serve as leading advisors to various governments, blue chip companies and a number of Europe’s main ports.
Where pertinent, all work is conducted in full compliance with ISPS Code requirements and the security solutions provided include detailed Port Facility Security Assessments (PFSA) and Port Facility Security Plans (PFSP). In this way Alcyon makes a valuable contribution to the mitigation and management of international corporate, commercial and communications risks. |
