Introduction

It is clear from the previous chapters that ports are dynamic spaces where both licit and illicit operators and users must capitalize on social, political, economic and technological change to remain competitive. This chapter looks to demonstrate that the political economy approach proposed in this book provides a useful lens for exploring and evaluating how these forces will continue to shape port security in the future. It begins by discussing the ‘long shadow’ of the ISPS Code and its treatment – or lack thereof – of organized crime as a port security priority. Here, it engages with critiques of the politicization of the international regime, its failure to address local priorities and what this means for maritime-focussed capacity building initiatives moving forward. It then turns to technology, digitization and automation as a challenge and opportunity for port security, including cybersecurity as an emergent threat, the changing nature of corruption vulnerabilities and the displacement of organized crime activities into the wider logistics supply chain and port-city hinterland area. New areas of inquiry for the port security research agenda are identified throughout.

The ‘long shadow’ of the ISPS Code

The politics of the ISPS Code

While the ISPS Code1 is widely credited with establishing a shared understanding of baseline port security standards (Kraska and Pedrozzo, 2013), it is not without criticism. This includes the extent to which the current regime reflects local priorities (Hönke and Cuesta-Fernandez, 2018; Chalfin and Dahou, 2020) and whether the Code's narrow focus on terrorism neglects the more insidious and common threat of nonviolent security issues such as organized crime and corruption (Greenberg et al, 2006; Kostakos and Antonopoulos, 2010; Grillot, Cruise and D’erman, 2010; Eski and Carpenter, 2013). As Greenberg et al (2006) note, there is a profound difference in the motivations of (organized) criminal and terrorist actors targeting the port space, not least that the former relies upon continuity and hides conspicuously in global trade, while the latter seeks to disrupt it.