Shipping Securities, Essay Example

Shipping Security and Operation Effects

Ocean shipping costs refer to the charges imposed by a shipping freight company in transporting goods or offering services between two dry lands across the sea or ocean by use of ships or ports. However, shipping is the service provided by the ocean transporters. On the other hand, transportation security is the reinforcement and overseeing of smooth sea operations of sending and receiving merchants’ cargoes between two merchandise companies or customers in good conditions between two, or more ports (Upadhyaya, 2014, p.177). Ocean transport by ship is prone to piracy that has affected the smooth movement of merchants’ operations. In this regard, the ocean economic status is affected. After the 2002 Comprehensive Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) implementation, a significant improvement in the way cargoes and movement of passengers were handled was realized. In this regard, many countries invested billions of dollars in their ports reinforcing security through the construction of walls, improved technology, and recruitment cum training the security personnel.

The pirates who attacked ships were experienced in1990s, 80s, 2005, but it became a rampant in the subsequent years as from 2011. Pirates sunk a ship and attacked several ships robbing and causing innocent deaths in the process of retaliating. Piracy was then featured as a menace and a threat facing the international shipping which led to the increase on shipping charges; this was seen impeded by the pirates hence affected the global trade. The insurers also raised its profit by increasing the insurance charges, which led to hiking of transportation charges, and more so, the importer was bided responsible for the insurance and risk costs. The insurance companies have held its insurance charges high hence the hiked charges of commodities’ transportation (Upadhyaya, 2014, p.175). Though shipping is no longer trusted safe, it is now better as the Somali pirates awoke the world prompting the enactment of exceptional measures to guard and provide safety.

Shipping freight companies have also responded to the threats with their own security means such as sprouting electric fences and razor wires round the ships. Further, they have employed the use of non-lethal weapons on the ship such as installation of modern surveillance security cameras, high-pressure water-hoses, use of sound guns. In addition, War-Ship patrol soldiers have been deployed to the Indian Ocean as well as the patrolling aircraft, which monitors the activities of the Ocean.

Reference

Upadhyaya, S. (2014). Maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region: The role of the Indian Navy. Australian Journal Of Maritime & Ocean Affairs, 6(4), 173-190.