Port security better than ever

Great improvements have been made in security at major ports worldwide over the last decade, led by implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, says David Hunt, head of marine forecasting at Exclusive Analysis.

The consultancy closely monitors the political environment so that businesses can assess development opportunities and mitigate risk factors.
Ports are undoubtedly a harder target than they were before 9/11, Mr Hunt says. However, given the scale of global trade, the ISPS measures represent a threat reduction rather than a threat elimination.

"The vast numbers of people and elements involved in the supply chain, and the need to balance security with commercial considerations, mean that there will always be exploitable security vulnerabilities in the supply chain for those sufficiently capable and motivated to seek them out," says Mr Hunt. "Furthermore, increasing security at one target invariably transfers the threat to less well protected assets. To quote an often repeated mantra, security in interconnected systems is only as strong as the weakest point in the supply chain.

"Therefore the critical factor is the quality of intelligence on those groups intent on carrying out acts of terrorism."

Mr Hunt says that intelligence collection and analysis has improved in recent years, with many plots against a variety of targets thwarted, but warns that there remain gaps in the integration and analysis of information.