MarPortSecurity LLC

SECURITY ASSESSMENTS

Port Assessment

Facility Assessment

Vessel Assessment

The first step in implementing a new security system, or improving one already in place, is a thorough assessment of your port, vessel, or facility. This involves more than just a physical survey of your site. MarPortSecurity will identify the critical elements of your business, relate them to your operating environment, and determine if there are adequate measures in place to ensure continued safe and secure operations.

The security risk faced entities operating in the marine environment is a function of vulnerability, consequence and threat. To meet your security needs, MarPortSecurity can do complete risk assessments involving each of these elements, or more limited assessments of any one of these important components. To get the best possible results, we recommend that an on-site survey be conducted by a team of individuals with different security backgrounds. Remember, it is unlikely that one person will be an expert in all areas of security risk assessment.

The Assessment Team will be coordinated by a Marine Safety & Security Specialist. This person has worked closely with the maritime industry for years, understands federal regulation and consequence management planning systems, and can manage the frequently competing demands of regulation and your business objectives. Potential security measures will be balanced with their impact on safety, and obvious safety or environmental problems encountered during the assessment will be brought to your attention for your information. Because of this breadth of experience, the Marine Safety & Security Specialist is best suited to assess "Consequence".

A Law Enforcement Specialist and/or a person with Special Forces experience can consult with and assess your "Vulnerability". This person approaches the job with the faith that your efforts to date have been well intentioned and largely correct. The member with Special Forces experience will tell you how a determined enemy could penetrate and destroy your ability to operate. Both will consult with your internal security forces to determine your physical security needs, the awareness of local law enforcement agencies of your needs, and your overall preparedness to respond to a security event.

A Law Enforcement or Intelligence Specialist will meet with your security force for their perspective on the "Threat" environment. This member will ask federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies for any information they can provide to identify threat. In many cases external law enforcement will be unable or unwilling to provide detailed information. In that situation we will recommend ways that can improve the overall threat picture for your organization.

Remember, the strength of MarPortSecurity is our utilization of very experienced and highly credentialed personnel who have spent full careers in their respective fields. We can provide various combinations of these personnel to meet your security needs within your budget.

Vulnerability is a measure of how well
a port, vessel or waterfront facility is physically protected from internal or external criminal activity. The good efforts you have already invested to prevent and prepare for these threats are most closely related to vulnerability. Your security force, their tools and training are vital elements of vulnerability, as is the degree to which company personnel are aware of security threats and procedures to deal with them. Of course, fences, barriers, lighting and intrusion detection devices are important. MarPortSecurity has developed detailed evaluation procedures to assess all of these elements of vulnerability.

Consequence - This is the identification of the bad or negative events and outcomes that can happen to your port, vessel, or facility. Consequence can be economic; it can involve the safety and health of personnel within a facility, or the public beyond its gates. Consequence can be environmental, or it can involve the larger defense related needs of our nation.

The military war planning and fighting concept of "Center of Gravity" can be applied to the challenges we face to defend against terrorist or other criminal activity. A "Center of Gravity" is that element, component or aspect of an entity that if destroyed, interrupted, or affected, will destroy or seriously affect the entire entity. COG's can be small valves, entire systems, equipment, or even key personnel. The determination of Centers Of Gravity depends on consequence. Consequence can be economic, the safety and health of workers within a facility or the public beyond its gates, or it can be environmental. Only after a carefully focused analysis of what really is important to an entity, can effective planning be conducted to defend it from harm.

Threat - Threat is a measure of the likelihood that your organization is being targeted for criminal activity. This is the most difficult element of risk to determine because we are dealing with many unknowns. Threat involves determining the identity, motive, ability and intent of persons or organizations, both internal and external to your organization, which could or have targeted your site for harm.

Consequence and Threat: Essential Elements of the Maritime
Security Risk Equation
(PDF 136 KB)
The 2002 IMO Piracy Report
(PDF 1.34 MB)

PORT ASSESSMENT

A port is a unique geographical area composedof many diverse elements. It is a combination of commercial, recreational, defense-related and environmental activities and areas. A port contains vessels, docks, oil and chemical facilities, public shopping areas, and power plants. Tunnels carry traffic beneath the port, and bridges of every type shorten travel from one side to another. Sea planes may utilize certain water areas of the port and great airports may occupy the shoreline. The security of a seaport is clearly a complicated matter. Seaports are perhaps the most difficult security challenge that exists within a nation's infrastructure.

The security of a port is not simply the sum total of individual site security assessments. Consequence at one site may multiply overall consequence throughout the port, or conversely, damage to a facility's Center of Gravity may not have any impact beyond its gates. The great variations between elements of a port, and from one port to another requires that elements be assessed considering their part in an overall port system, and in context with the types of criminal threats that are likely to be encountered in that area. Port security involves the entire port and that is a challenge of coordination.

MarPortSecurity can coordinate the determination of risk through the established threat, consequence and vulnerability model with all entities operating within the port. We will facilitate the determination of a port's Center of Gravity, and focus efforts on how these elements can be hardened to reduce vulnerability. Based upon all elements of security risk we can develop scenarios and procedures to guide port security planning efforts.

The concept of entire port planning and coordination may seem immense, but our personnel have achieved notable success in doing just that over the past ten years. Oil and chemical spill planning associated with the requirements of The Oil Pollution Act of 1990, its "Area Planning" and "Area Committee" requirements have provided a wealth of experience to our Marine Safety & Security Specialists.

VESSEL ASSESSMENT

The determination of security risk for vessels involves another unique set of variables for vulnerability, threat and consequence. There are many types, uses and operational conditions of vessels. They may be commercial, recreational, or defense related in nature. They may be in port at the pier, or at anchor. They may be transiting the open seas, or be in very restricted areas prone to piracy. Cargoes vary greatly. Each of these conditions introduces great variables into the vulnerability, consequence and threat equation and creates a seemingly endless cookbook of security scenarios.

MarPortSecurity personnel understand the diverse nature of vessel types and operations because they have manned, inspected, or managed them throughout their professional careers. The breadth of this marine experience is what makes MarPortSecurity different from any other company offering security services. It provides the best possible combination of ability to evaluate your operations, characterize risk, and recommend measures to deter, prevent and prepare for the results of criminal activity.

FACILITY ASSESMENT

A facility may be any one of the diverse entities within a port. Again, more variables, making each entity a unique planning challenge. The determination of consequence and vulnerability become easier as the site or operation becomes more specific, however the determination of threat becomes very difficult. Our personnel can conduct in-depth assessments for each of these risk elements. From these assessments we can recommend physical security improvements, develop detailed plans and procedures, design exercises and ensure your interests are represented at port level planning efforts.