Introduction
Maritime piracy, which can be described as hijacking or detention of ships moving across international waters, has evolved over the years; thus, posing a severe challenge to the industry within the context of international law. Although government and non-government agencies have been at the forefront in dealing with this issue, the problem has been on finding new ways through which to reduce exposure of the ships to high possibilities of piracy while in international waters. That creates the need for having to engage in a study that will seek to understand the issue of maritime piracy as it relates to safety and security. The focus of the research is to analyze the importance of using information technology (ICT) as one of the critical long-term interventions in dealing with the issue of maritime piracy. The project will examine the extent to which the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a multination agency focused on maritime safety and security, has adopted ICT as part of its structured approach to dealing with the security issue of piracy.
Literature Review
The flaring up of incidences associated with maritime piracy in areas around Somalia, West Africa, and South-East Asia, especially in the period between 2007 and 2011, have raised serious questions on the safety and security standards to dealing with piracy. The challenge in dealing with the issue of maritime piracy has been driven by the fact that a majority of the pirates orchestrating hijackings and detentions are changing tact in a bid to improving on their capacities to match the set objectives. Some of the countries, including France and the United States, have been at the forefront in sending their naval ships as part of their approaches to dealing with the issue of piracy. However, this has not been of any great value considering that pirates are adopting new strategies and methods that they use in their bid to hijacking and detaining ships in international waters. Addressing the issue of maritime piracy requires concerted efforts that will be structured around the shift towards extensive use of technology as one of the ways through which to ensure that the relevant agencies can deal with piracy effectively.
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Process for Completing the Project
The method of completing the project will involve having to embark on an overview of maritime piracy cases, as well as, tracking the approaches that governments and international organizations are taking in their bid to dealing with the issue of piracy. In the analysis of the cases, what will be considered is the geographical regions in which they occur to help in determining areas that pose the highest threats concerning maritime piracy. The analysis of the cases will help in creating a correlation between the ships captured by pirates while on transit in international waters to assist in determining the vulnerability of specific cargo. The project will also go-ahead to engage in a discussion of new technologies that have been developed to assist in combating the issue of piracy. Based on the discussion, the project will then provide relevant recommendations that would be adopted in a bid to reducing exposure of ships to risks of piracy in international waters.
Organization Consulted
As part of completing the project, the organization that will be consulted will be the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is an agency that has been set up by the United Nations with the sole focus being on maritime safety and security. Consultation with the organization will be focused more on trying to get a clear understanding of what they are doing in their bid to dealing with the issue of piracy, which is seen as one of the key challenges in the maritime industry today. Additionally, the consultation will also surround how the organization is using technology in its bid to creating a standard framework through which to improve on safety and security of the ships during transit.
