The current threats top ports were investigated globally and to the informant’s ports.
Regarding what type of threats should port employees worldwide be are of in the container port system, and which threats are the most important to focus on why, six informants from all three regions agreed that smuggling of contraband such as narcotics and hazardous materials was the major threat that port employees have to be aware of. One informant stated:
In the container system, you cannot see what is inside. Even if something is declared like agriculture products, there may be something else inside. Some have been known to mis declare goods inside to avoid being charged and taxed. They get privilege by not paying a lot of money. Inside the container it may be some kind of dangerous good which if not stored correctly, may start a fire or even explode (2a).
Two informants saw terrorism as an important threat to container ports worldwide. One of them also mentioned that ensuring the correct people entering ports was an issue, since those that chose to break into ports by finding their way through or around fences could be potential terrorists. The other talked about the effects of terrorism and its impact on the supply chain:
There is always a threat to the supply chain. Container ports are an important part in the supply chain in the movement of goods, and of course if a terrorist organization or individuals want to disturb the supply chain for a specific country, then of course going for a large container port would make huge damage (1b).
Two informants mentioned that cyber-attacks were the most important threat to be aware of. One of them believed that cyber-attacks can do a lot of damage by shutting down operations in the entire terminal. Another believed that it was time to start educating people to catch up and understanding the new technology that is entering the port system. Yet another explained to the author about the impacts of cyber-attacks today:
64 To really shutdown shut down a port or container terminal, you have to do it cyber wise I think. Even the municipality here, they get hacked every once in a while and we get our emails almost shut down. I don’t know how much valuable information they have but container terminals, you shut down this container terminal and you do some damage even though we are not the biggest one (1d).
Another informant linked cyber-attacks to port employees and mentioned some concerning elements within the industry:
Cyber-attacks is most important since all industries are depending on technology and cyber innovation. People need to be educated for the rise of new technology. It is a concern for different generations as some may feel uncomfortable with this new revolution of technology and it takes time to learn. Criminals can easily use new technologies to set up an attack (2c).
Regarding the threats to the ports of informants, five informants mentioned controlling unauthorized access, three informants stated that the low level of education of their own workers was a threat, two informants identified terrorism, two informants mentioned cyber-attacks, one informant stated smuggling and one informant mentioned stowaways. The two informants that stated cyber-attacks as a threat to be aware of globally, are also the same informants that said cyber-attacks was a current threat that concerned their port the most.
Five informants stated unauthorized people entering their ports was a concern, because that could disrupt daily operations. The worst case scenario is that the people entering may be potential terrorists who are trying to disrupt the supply chain. One informant stated that ports including ferry terminals should be more aware since he believed that ferries are the biggest terrorist target, a view that was shared by another informant. For one port that imports hazardous goods regularly, that informant was concerned that unauthorized people may enter and attempt to steal them for unlawful ambitions. He explained that ‘These people may not have bad intentions, they could have entered the port by mistake or are just curious. This is something that disturbs the day to day business’ (1d).
The three informants that mentioned the lack of education of their workers as a threat are all located and employed the same region (2). One of them noted that the level of the workers’ education influenced the amount of accidents in the port area. One of the informants suggested that threats are more likely to occur because of the negligence of the less educated workers. Two informants stated:
65 Workers here have only received medium and low education. Sometimes they do not follow work instructions. Accidents happen quite often when they do not wear safety equipment such as shoes or helmets (2a).
Majority of staff employed here are undergraduates or high school graduates. This is because port work are labour intensive. Low education may increase the chances of a threat occurring. People with lower education tend to be more negligent (2b).
In the topic of terrorism, two ports from two different areas highlighted terrorism as the threat that their port employees needed to be aware of. However, the reasons because of this was different. One of them did not think the port he was employed at was ready for a terrorist attack because it was uncommon to ports within the country: ‘We never encountered a terrorist attack and we never prepared for it. That kind of thing is unexpected’ (2b). The other Informant claimed that his port was more prepared for terrorist attacks due to a recent terrorist within the country. The attack was not on the port, but nevertheless, the informant claimed that it still had an impact on them and due to that particular terrorist attack, the level of awareness was raised throughout the entire country.
Two informants were mostly concerned with the threat that could come from the seaside, they believed that from landside the port was protected, however, the seaside still remained exposed. One of them stated:
You are never able to secure the waterfront. So you have the fences and the gate, you have all the systems on the shore side. But securing the waterfront is impossible unless you have a guard going all the time, which you do not because it is too expensive (1e).
Table 3 presents the findings with regards to what the informants insist are the prominent threats to be aware of globally and the prominent threats to be aware of in their ports:
66 Table 3: Prominent threats globally and prominent threats at informant’s port.
Level of awareness / Type of threats
Threats to be aware of globally Informants
Threats to be aware of in informant’s own port
Informants
Smuggling 1a, 1b, 1e, 2a, 2b, 3a 1b
Unauthorized access 1c 1a, 1b, 1d, 2a, 2b
Seaside security 1c, 1e
Cyber attacks 1d, 2c
Stowaways 1e
Security awareness 1d
Terrorism 1b, 1c 2b, 3c
Uneducated workers 2a, 2b, 2c