The spectrum of security threats that ports face includes not only those associated to terrorism, but also includes traditional foes such as fraud, theft, smuggling, illegal immigration and piracy. Nonetheless the security threat of greatest concern is from terrorist organisations and in particular the delivery of Weapons of Mass Effect (WME) and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), potentially nuclear.

As one can imagine ships offer ideal delivery vehicles, not only due to their size and the challenges of accountability of their cargo but perhaps more importantly the reliance on another nation’s responsibility to ensure the integrity of its shipping channels. Subsequently the challenge of protecting any nation’s ports cannot rely solely on its own counter measures; it must also rely on the security measures in place at the point of origin.

From PTI 39 page 110. Read the full article here.