Conclusion
Programs now underway have improved the security of maritime transportation systems, their cargo, and passengers. Compared with the pre-9/11 world, there is much more widespread recognition and acceptance of international standards for vessel, port, and customs security (albeit with variable national-level implementation); better and more widely disseminated information on the maritime threat environment; and heightened security awareness.
Yet the number of terrorist attacks on the maritime mode has remained fairly constant over time, and the incidence of sea piracy remains high (equal to or greater than the combined number of terrorist attacks on all transportation modes in recent years). Bennett (2008) observed that the current security system has “hardened the target through standardized procedures for coordinating security measures and international cooperation on maritime security. It would be unrealistic to expect more than modest gains. The open nature of the maritime transportation system ensures its vulnerability” (p. 178).
Beyond its openness, maritime security faces certain unique challenges. First, unlike the case with respect to aviation and land transportation, cargo—not passengers—has been the focus of most maritime security programs. This carries with it both an increased role for economic considerations in the implementation of security measures and a lessened “price” (financial and convenience) customers are willing to pay when profit margins rather than lives are at stake. In addition, although the fear of terrorist use of maritime transport for deployment of weapons of mass destruction remains a major concern, the fact that actual terrorist incidents have been few and far between poses a particular problem in building and sustaining governmental (and public) support for maritime security measures.