Threats to Container Ports and Preventative Security Measures
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the threats to container ports in order to determine
which threats are most prominent currently and which threats are likely to be prominent in the
future, as well as investigating the modern preventative security measures effectiveness in
countering the identified threats. A multiple case study was conducted. Nine informants from
three different regions who have experience working with security in container ports were
interviewed. The threats and the security measures found from these interviews were discussed
in relation to the relevant theories in the literature review. The results of this study show that
smuggling is an often occurrence in the maritime industry, terrorism can cause disruptions to
global trade and unauthorized access to container ports could lead to the occurrence of other
threats. The trend of digitalization and automation of container ports lead to the result that cyber
attacks are the most prominent future threat. The results also indicate that threats cannot be
avoided completely with the existing countermeasures, they can only be mitigated. Additional
literature of threats to container ports and preventative security measures are provided in this
study as well as the need for awareness in these issues.