ABSTRACT
The goal of this study was to assess marine security, information, and communication technology. The study used a descriptive and explanatory design to collect data, which included questionnaires as well as library research. The data was evaluated using the correlation statistical tool at a 5% level of significance and displayed in frequency tables and percentages. The study included 68 Rivers port staff as respondents.
The study’s findings revealed that maritime security, as well as information and communication technology, can be assessed; based on the study’s findings, the Nigerian government and stakeholders should make additional efforts to promote maritime security in Nigeria, as this will attract more investors.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Worldwide port and maritime operations, as well as its accompanying facilities and infrastructure, are one of the most significant unsolved challenges to nation-state security and the global economy today. The primary reason that ports and shipping operations are so difficult to secure is due to their technological limitations. Ports are often huge, asymmetrical activities spread out over hundreds of acres of land and sea to support ship, truck, and rail traffic, petroleum product/liquid offloading, storage or pipeline, and container storage all at the same time. The movement of freight, cargo (solid or liquid), and transportation via a port is usually done on a “queuing” system, which means that any delay disrupts all operations. Whether or not the delays are attributable to security, security usually takes a back seat in the pursuit of expediency. There are few global standardized standards for point-to-point security control of containers, cargoes, boats, or crews – a port’s security in one country is very much at the mercy of another country’s port security, or lack thereof. Many ports are rife with organized crime, yet the vast majority of them still do not conduct background checks on dock workers, crane operators, or warehouse personnel. Private terminal operating businesses, who are responsible for their own security, typically lease substantial areas of a port’s facility. As a result, port security and operations management as a whole has become “balkanized” and uneven.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Maritime security is, without a doubt, a conundrum (Uadiale and Yonmo, 2010a). As a result of the fragmentation of central government power, a serious problem of marine security has arisen. The Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Guinea are thus emblematic of “the few situations in Africa where land-based security has significantly impacted maritime security.” The absence of marine security in the region, as well as the inability to execute the law and maintain good order at sea, posed a threat to maritime communication and sovereignty, as well as encouraging piracy. While much of the piracy off the coast of Somalia is due to the collapse of administration and law and order in Somalia, the situation in the Gulf of Guinea is quite different. Piracy on the high seas In Nigeria, on-land politics directly influence offshore actions, causing the Niger Delta region’s hub of insecurity to seep into the Gulf of Guinea, promoting disorder at sea. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a maritime watchdog, has ranked Nigeria’s seas as the second most dangerous in the world, behind Somalia. Since 1999, the government and the oil sector have been concerned about the spread of piracy in the West African region. In the Niger Delta, militant groups have become pirates, claiming to be destroying the oil sector for political reasons in protest of Nigeria’s squandering of its oil wealth. These political grievances, however, are increasingly becoming criminal in nature (Uadiale and Yonmo, 2010a).
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. Evaluate maritime security, as well as information and communication technology.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What criteria can be used to evaluate marine security, information, and communications technology?
1.6 Hypotheses for research
Ho: It is impossible to examine maritime security, information and communications technology.
Hi: It is possible to examine maritime security, as well as information and communication technologies.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Information Communication Technology (ICT) encompasses a variety of ways for exchanging data between two or more devices, such as computers, mobile PDAs, and high-tech gadgets, using any of various means of interconnection, mostly the Internet, to accomplish a specific goal. These technologies allow for quick, low-cost, secure, and convenient communication.
As a result, the importance of ICT in the marine industry on maritime operations and security in developing countries, particularly Nigeria, cannot be overstated.
As a result, the purpose of this research is to determine the impact of ICT on the security of maritime operations.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study uses rivers port as a case study to analyze maritime security, information, and communications technology.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
1. Financial constraints- A lack of funds impedes the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data gathering procedure (internet, questionnaire and interview).
2. Time constraint- The researcher will be working on this topic while also doing other academic tasks. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Maritime: This refers to anything that has to do with the sea, especially when it comes to seaborne trade or naval concerns.
Security refers to a person’s, a building’s, an organization’s, or a country’s protection from threats.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is a broad word that refers to any communication equipment or application, including radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems, and so on, as well as the different services and applications available.