Protecting global trade in transit

Concerns that maritime trade could become a new focus for terrorists in response to a decade of tighter aviation security formed the focus of the SDA's lunchtime debate on December 1st which was led by expert speakers from the European Commission (EC), World Customs Organization and the security industry. The meeting heard how the effects of an attack could be disastrous given the reliance of the world economy on maritime transport which carries around 90 percent of all international trade. However speakers stressed the importance of balancing security measures with the need to keep trade flowing freely and to limit the extra costs involved. “We should not over-react,” said Antonis Kastrissianakis from the DG General Taxation and Customs Union of the EC, who was critical of plans in the US to demand 100 percent scanning of incoming containers. “The costs are enormous, but the benefits are doubtful,” he contended.

The need for increased cooperation at an international level, but also between business and public authorities, and among government agencies such as customs, intelligence and transport regulators was stressed by several speakers. There were reassuring comments on technological developments in the security field, but speakers emphasized the crucial role of intelligence as the front line in transport security since the huge scale of maritime trade made detecting threats at entry point a needle-in-a-haystack conundrum. The debate raised differences between those who advocated a specific focus on the terrorist threat and those promoting synergies with action taken in the wider fight against smuggling.

Find the report of the debate here.