ASSESSING MARITIME SECURITY, INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to assess maritime security, information and communication technology. The descriptive and explanatory design was used in the study, and data was collected using questionnaires as well as library research. Data was analyzed using the correlation statistical tool at 5% level of significance and presented in frequency tables and percentages using primary and secondary data sources. The study included 68 Rivers port employees as participants.
The study findings revealed that maritime security, information and communication technology can be assessed; based on the study findings, the Nigerian government and stakeholders should make additional efforts to promote maritime security in Nigeria, as this would encourage more investors.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Worldwide port and maritime operations, as well as their associated facilities and infrastructure, represent one of the single greatest unaddressed challenges to national and global security today. The reason ports and shipping activity are so difficult to secure is primarily due to technological limitations. Ports are typically large, asymmetrical activities spread across hundreds of acres of land and water to accommodate ship, truck, and rail traffic, petroleum product/liquid offload, storage or piping, and container storage all at the same time. The movement of freight, cargo (solid or liquid), and transport through a port is typically based on a “queuing” system, which means that any delay disrupts all operations. Whether or not the delays are related to security, security generally takes a back seat in the interest of expediency.
of time management or convenience. There are very few uniform standards for point-to-point control of security on containers, cargoes, vessels, or crews globally – a port’s security in one nation is very much at the mercy of another port’s security, or lack thereof. Many ports are infested with organized crime, and the vast majority of them still do not require background checks on dock workers, crane operators, or warehouse employees. Large portions of most ports’ facilities are leased to private terminal operating companies, which are responsible for their own security. As a result, port security and operations management as a whole have become “balkanized” and uneven.
1.2 Problem identification
Maritime security is a conundrum (Uadiale and Yonmo, 2010a). As a result of the disintegration of central government authority, the lack of maritime security has become a major issue. The Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Guinea are thus symbols of “the few cases in Africa where security onland have spilled over and affected maritime security severely”. The region’s lack of maritime security, as well as the inability to enforce the law and maintain good order at sea, jeopardized maritime communication, maritime sovereignty, and encouraged piracy. While much of the insecurity on the Somali coast stems from the collapse of governance and law and order in Somalia, the situation in the Gulf of Guinea is somewhat different. Maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is more directly motivated by politics.
In Nigeria, politics on land directly affect offshore actions, causing the Niger Delta region’s hub of insecurity to spill into the Gulf of Guinea, promoting bad order at sea. According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Nigeria’s waters are now the second most dangerous in the world, trailing only Somalia. Since 1999, the government and the oil industry have been concerned about the spread of piracy in the West African region. In the Niger Delta, militant groups have turned pirates, claiming to be sabotaging the oil industry for political reasons in protest of Nigeria’s mismanagement of its oil wealth. However, these political grievances are increasingly becoming criminal (Uadiale and Yonmo, 2010a).
1.3 The Importance of the study
Information Communication Technology (ICT) refers to various forms of information exchange between two or more devices such as computers, mobile PDAs, and high-tech devices that can be initiated to perform a defined task using any of several methods of interconnection, primarily the Internet. These technologies enable quick, low-cost, secure, and convenient communication.
As a result, in developing countries, particularly Nigeria, the impact of ICT in the maritime sector on maritime operations and security cannot be overstated.
As a result, the purpose of this research study is to evaluate the impact of ICT on the security of maritime operations.
1.4 The study’s objectives
1. To evaluate maritime security, information and communication technology.
1.5 Research concerns
1. How can maritime security, information and
Can communication technology be evaluated?
1.6 Hypotheses for research
Ho: It is impossible to assess maritime security, information and communication technology.
Hi: Maritime security, as well as information and communication technology, can be evaluated.
1.7 The study’s limitations
1. Financial constraint- Inadequate funds tend to impede the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection process (internet, questionnaire and interview).
2. Time constraint- The researcher will conduct this study alongside other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.
1.8 Scope of the study
The research looks at maritime security, information and communications technology, and rivers port as a case study.
1.9 Glossary of Terms
Maritime: This is connected with
the sea, especially in relation to seaborne trade or naval matters.
Security refers to the protection of a person, a building, an organization, or a country from threats.
ICT is an umbrella term that encompasses any communication device or application, including radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems, and so on, as well as the various services and applications.
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