American seaport vulnerability to submersible vessel attacks

Seaports Vulnerability to Submersible Vessels

Criminology

All countries of the world are struggling hard to provide peace to its residents and masses. After all the efforts and struggle, countries are still not completely safe from the dangerous attacks on the borders including dry ports and seaports. In America, it is a severe issue to understand how to secure and protect the seaports of the country. The topic of discussion is also related to the protection of seaports of the country from different types of attacks such as nuclear attacks and submersible vessels (Jaffee and Russell 1997).

It is very important to understand all the seaports security issues and then suggest roadmap for protection policies development as well as its implementation immediately. There are three large seaports in America such as Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland. These are the largest seaports of America and these ports are most vulnerable to submersible vessels because of their big size. The major objective of this essay is to explore the level of vulnerability of all seaports around the country and realize the importance of security to the foreign policy makers. These all three seaports are most vulnerable to submersible vessels and if the attacks are successful then the results of those successful attacks will be very dangerous. In that situation, the global economy, health of the region as well as the prosperity and per capita income of individuals can be affected in a huge way (Crist 2003).

By attacking on seaports, the target of enemy is to restrict global trade, reduce international trade movement and the end results is the loss of the economy. When an open economy is affected due to attack on its seaports then the effects of those attacks are not only on the victim economy but the associated economies are also harmed and affected negatively (Chalk, et al. 2005).

This research paper will answer several important and essential questions related to the security of seaports such as what can happen if there is an heavy submersible attacks on a particular seaports. It will also solve the queries of people who have no idea about the security of all seaports of the country. The complete plan of security related to seaports have been understood, the alternatives any security plan fails (Crist 2003).

Seaports Security

After the incident of September 11, 2001, the United States stopped all its transportation systems such air traffic system, maritime transportation systems for several days for the purpose of security and avoidance of any such event. In that period, many policies were developed and -formulated for the control of events such as September 11. It was clearly in the mind of U.S. congress that airplanes and submersible can serve as weapons so they made policies for airplanes as well as ships. After the September 11 attacks, the focus and attention of government and public was to improve the air travel system than secure the seaports of the nations. Security of seaports was also very important so in 2002, U.S. congress passed the legislation. The purpose of this legislation was to measure the existing security system and develop more advance security systems to avoid any submersible attacks. The legislation also helped to implement several programs and policies for the security and reduce the vulnerability of seaports. Now, the question is whether the seaports are secured completely, what level o security has been financed. What practices and policies are followed to protect seaports of nation? The research paper will help to understand and get the answers of all these questions raised. In short, the research paper is solely realizing the importance of ports security and motivates policy makers to be alert about the submersible attacks and the consequences of these attacks on the country (Chalk, et al. 2005).

Port Vulnerability to terrorist Attack:

Ports are the main places for attacking from the side of terrorist. The big reason behind is the area of port is very large and mostly not much secured from the all side, they allow the terrorist to locate their place of escape. Because the port areas are open to in and out, so terrorist can easily find their ship of weapon and can move them from that place. Moreover, the cargo ships have very small crews and that make it easy for pirates to attack on them. And this is most probably reason that the pirate attack on cargo ships in the ports. Some owner of the cargo ships also consider that the piracy and terror are linked. There relations are linked with money, the pirate finance to the terrorist operation.

A cargo shipment becomes more complicated in the case of vulnerability to terrorist attack. A container consists on of a single company with multiple customers or sometime it consists on multiple companies with multiple customers. So it become more difficult a container which is loaded can be stay from the pirate.

Vulnerability to Submersible Vessel;

A small vessel design under the water is called submersible. It made for the deep water of the sea. This submarine is basically made for the military to rescue our seas and deep water from the terrorist. The marines are contains more than 100 peoples of military along with some foods and fresh water for the crew and also have nuclear power for rescue the sake of country. There are also some robot submersible, Titanic was discover through these robot submersible which specially create for the deep ocean research organizations.

Security Measurements

For the security of the ports there should be the coast guard for minimize the vulnerability to terrorist attack on the ports. The coast guard response to the security to ports their duties are to look after the navy ships and the cargo ships entering or until not leaving from the port. The guard should improve their quality and inspect on high level of interest the security for the sake of encounter to the terrorist attack.

Bureau of customer and Border protection are the U.S. program to counter the terrorist for the ports become safe. The customer and border protection are basically required the cargo information which effects the risks of terrorism. For this purpose U.S. organized a Neptune program which can identify the high and low risk of the ports. In this program the coast guard places the port where the high risk of threat lies.

Security Management at Ports

For the foreign high interest vessels enter in the ports U.S. organized a Sea Marshal program and assign the coast guard to the place of the port. In a large U.S. port like New York, Los Angles and New Jersey required almost 96 hours for clearing the shipment and for this system the Sea Marshal are applied, when a shipment approves to enter the port, the Sea Marshal program is applied under the custody of coast guard.

The U.S. custom services also provide a proper security to the ports; before a cargo and shipment enter in the U.S. ports the custom becomes active to give the proper security to the crew, member of ship and things or goods of cargo, to save them from the threats of terrorism. In the U.S. there are four types of security in custom, International custom zone, Custom trade partnership against terrorism, Cargo related intelligence and the Non-intrusive inspector. They all are inspect the cargo and reduce the risk of weapons and mass materiel to enter the ports (Flynn 2002).

The Custom-trade partnership against terrorism works for the security of factories. An International custom zone establish for the security of largest seaports all around the world. Non-instructive inspector works for the technology at foreign 'mega ports'. The U.S. shares technology and information of cargo with the help of educated custom crew. The custom technology helps to low the risk of terrorism of greater security to the entry of ports (Jaffee and Russell 1997).

Submarine Attack;

Submarines are warships which design to operate the deepwater for the long time. The first submarine build over 500 years ago which covered a wooden boats with a treated leader. The submarine has verity of weapons and the most of the new submarine have powered of nuclear energy also. In contract the nuclear attack submarine USS Sea wolf is 107.6 meter (353ft) long, made for steel with the verity of weapon. It can travel around the world with 130 crews in the depth of 460m under water.

Two types of submarine basically used for the navy officers, attack submarine and the ballistic missiles submarine.

Attack submarine are basically design to the power of nuclear reaction system. Attack submarine also attacking the other ships targeting with small team of commandos, cruise missiles and lay mine. The attack submarines also operate the speed and stealth and can easily detect the enemies through direct communication. While the Ballistic missile submarine specially designed for the intercontinental nuclear missiles. These missiles lunched for the military strategies to deter the attack of enemy from starting a nuclear war (Force 1999).

Maritime crime;

The ports and maritime services which are related to the marine transport are basically related the some main factors include the management, planning, energy, environment, finance, training and business development.

The terrorism in maritime may be cause a container to smuggler a drug or may cause the weapons. Drug smuggler known the strategy and have experience how to threats the employ of cargo shipment and how to depredation the shipments. Terrorism on the other hand particularly using the same method of attack only once to, carry out terrorism operation.

The security of terrorism concerns with the terrorism and international damage. There are mainly three types of security which concern to the activities which conducted from the coast guard. The port securities conducted from the coast guard are required for the security of ports measurement. The result of this act is to reduce the risk of personal threat, vessels and public threat.

Secondly the vessels security which also called ISPS code vessel security, are based on two program the operations and measurement. The operation securities developed security plans which based on the security assessment and the implement of the ports measures security operation. The facility security can be defined by any location or a public or private property or any ownership and operation usually based on the facility security (Unknown, Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives," 2004).

International Requirements

In the July, 2004, the international ports and vessels security introduced which code IPSP (International ship and port security code). It was an international security organization. U.S. also implement this program to the betterment of security of ports and vessel facilities. In December 2002 the U.S. enhance the international cargo facilities with the effort of coast guard which called the international ship and port security ISPS code and implement on 2004, July. Further the U.S. also has implemented a ship security plan which called Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS).

The requirements include in this security of act the U.S. coast guard working for the anti-terrorism in the seaports and established an international program to improve the security of ports and cargo ships. They visit foreign officers and share to implement the code ISPS on their ports. The result of these official meeting, the vessels arrive at the ports with the security code ISPS who minimize the risk of pre-arrival vessels. Ships by provide the ship identity, the location of the ship their time and data and position of ships. This program helps in 2006, the international maritime organization has also implement the program of tracking to the security to identify the accurate distance of a ship. They also invent some devices for the identification of automatically system in which they can approach the vessels identity, type, position, speed and navigational status (Interagency Commission on Crime and Security in U.S. Seaports 2000).

Programs;

The government implements the measure security on the areas. After 9/11 the government of U.S. considered the port security and for this purpose the agencies of United States started to implement in the new roles and new programs.

In 2002, the Bush president of United State had implemented a program under the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) 2002. The establishment of the Marine transport system in 1998, which focus on the security against the crime and the terrorism. In April 1999, the president of U.S. Bush implemented the study of crime at the seaport. In U.S. there are four policies are implement by the measure which are, "the Maritime Transport Security Act (MTSA), the security for the containers at ports, (CSI), the container security initiative, (C-TPAT) the custom, Trade Partnership Agent Terrorism and a port security grant program run by the department of Homeland Security" (Jaffee and Russell 1997) .

The MTSA, maritime transport security has based on the coast guard security and the security of ports facility and the vessels security also. This act also called and work for the new program of coast guard and the quick response team. The CIA, container security initiative has based on the custom and the border protection of United State. They are providing the advance screening and the inspection on the border and the ports. The C-TPTA, the Custom-Trade Partnership Agent terrorism are also work for the U.S. government on the ports and borders but they are related to the companies who supply goods to the other countries through ports. In this program the companies meet the requirements of the U.S. border and released their supply goods chain after inspection. So we can say this could be the sake of international trade security program (Flanagan 2003).

Government applied these programs to improve the security resources and activities. The main aimed for the improvement of security was to stop the terrorism on the maritime transport. They balance the labor between the Golf Coast and the West Coast ports. In the case of allocation the port security the California in 2003 handled 39% of all U.S. And 49% of waterborne imports by value, which causes the change in the federal port security level (Unknown, Department of Defense and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States Act, 2002).

The Economy effected of a terrorist attack on the ports;

The los-Angles and the Long Beach are the largest value ports of the United State. The U.S. economy would be the prime target to the terrorist. A large amount are used for the waterborne trade for the import and export of the goods, U.S. used more than 10% of their gross domestic product. Because of such a big amount has been used for the purpose of waterborne trading so the terrorist attack on the ports to destroy the U.S. economy. For example if a port have a fear of the attack of terrorism, the port are may be closed and shipper may changed their rout of shipment just because of terrorism threat. This kind of act definitely effect on the economy of U.S.. An attack of ports has been suffered with economy consequences. It can be most probably if the terrorist attack the four bright of United State, the U.S. economy directly hit by the action. They need to reconstruct it again which will require the one year and two months, the reconstruction has also effect the economy of U.S., approximately $45 billion could require for the reconstruction (Flynn 2002).

For reducing the risk of terrorism they need to give additional measure for port security. The workers and the emergency services should always prepare for effective response, in which the government response and the measures of security technology and the container technology are called emergency services. Each day there are thousands of containers flow from the U.S. ports, their security from should be measure from the beginning when they loaded and the ended when they sealed, their security should be given their effective role (Flanagan 2003).

There are most probably the 17 different points where the containers stop at the rest in United State. While in rest, the containers can be stolen by the terrorism, for this purpose provide them the complete security which not only remain for the ports but the every point of container delivery. For example, a truck loader load the container in the truck and the container can be vulnerable by the thieves.

The issue is not about the container vulnerability only, but it also the container could be fill with the nuclear weapon loaded with poor inspection from the security which can be cause the higher disaster in United State. And there is no way to check a million of container in proper manner who enter in the United State. To reduce the risk of terrorism the U.S. need to apply some strong management in every point of the ports. The intelligence should provide the information about the risky container, the loader or shipper have information about the goods he is authorize, the packing of the goods could be seen easily, there should be a complete control of container who come near to the port and develop the new devices who tracking the technology (Chalk, et al. 2005).

These factors are very helpful to reduce the risk of terrorism but enable to finish it. For the advance technology the U.S. government has favor the businessman to produce some business throughout the country. The advance technology has been costly but proved very effectiveness. The produce devices for the container and fitted on them, the alarm indicates that there is something dangerous in the container, the physical appearance also necessary for the inspection.

After the 9/11 the companies produce the new technology to the protection from the terrorism. For reducing the risk-task, they generate the new technologies under the laboratories of private companies. After adopting these issues of technology from the private companies the United State can achieve the economics gain also improve their security programs (Flynn 2002).