Beirut explosion calls for attention at lack of port security: The Conversation

Beirut, Lebanon (PortSEurope) August 6, 2020 - The huge explosion in the port of Beirut calls to attention the tremendous consequences of a lack of port security, write Scott Edwards, Research Associate, University of Bristol, and Christian Bueger, Professor of International Relations, University of Copenhagen, in an article for The Conversation - an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community. They say that while the disaster itself was exceptional, the events leading up to it were not. Hazardous material is shipped across the world’s oceans on a daily basis and often mishandled or illegally traded. Abandoned containers of hazardous goods are found regularly in ports. While maritime security tends to focus on preventing high-profile events such as piracy, terrorism or cyber-attacks, all too often it is daily mishandling that makes disasters possible. Part of preventing disasters such as what has happened in Beirut will mean strengthening port management and addressing crimes such as smuggling and corruption. We know little about how many containers stand abandoned in ports around the world and a United Nations report indicates that this number may be large. Containers often lie abandoned within ports, sometimes even by design, fuelled by criminal activities such as waste smuggling and corruption. The issue remains widespread and there are continued obstacles to tackling it. The abandonment of dangerous containers in ports is not a new problem. Since the 2000s there have been significant efforts to increase security levels in ports through surveillance, training and safety protocols. In light of the continuing abandonment problem, we know that these measures – and their implementation – are insufficient. According to Edwards and Bueger, we have to start seeing the smuggling of waste and the abandoning of ships and containers as major offences. They should be seen as important parts of the blue crime and maritime security agenda. Appropriate legislation is needed to criminalise them. An international database for such crimes is required, as is transnational cooperation to address them. Corruption in ports plays a key part in ensuring that abandonment goes unnoticed. It needs to be addressed with a concerted international effort. Increased efforts in building the capacity of ports to deal with hazardous waste, to detect smuggling and to deal with abandonment cases are needed. In particular, this will be necessary for ports which have limited resources and are common destinations for abandoned containers, such as ports in Asia and Africa. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union already conduct port security capacity building work, in particular in Africa. More of this kind of work is needed. Beirut has shown us the kind of impact a port disaster can have on a city and its inhabitants. Lessons must be learned to make sure a tragedy like this does not happen again, the authors concluded. Copyright (C) PortSEurope. All Rights Reserved. 2020.

Beirut explosion calls for attention at lack of port security: The Conversation

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Beirut explosion calls for attention at lack of port security: The Conversation

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All news

New Caspian ferry line Turkmenbashi-Olya might finally launch

Kazakhstan’s ports handled 6.2 mln tonnes of cargo in Jan-Oct’24

DFDS bought Ekol Logistics at the end

Two cocaine shipments, 720 kg and 720 kg, seized in Vlissingen port

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Our Expert Analysis

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Top Ports