Water can act as a means of intrusion that finds no parallel in land security

How safe are Indian ports from terrorist activities?

Vijay Sakhuja

International intelligence agencies are monitoring the movement of at least 20 merchant vessels in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the United States. On a tip off, M V Nisha, a cargo vessel owned by The Great Eastern Shipping Company was intercepted on December 21, 2001 by Royal Navy frigate HMS Sutherland in international waters. Earlier, the ship had docked in Djibouti, neighbouring Somalia, a base of the al-Qaida terror group. The vessel was suspected of transporting dangerous cargo and was tracked till its interception in the English Channel. Recent reports suggest al-Qaida used ships to transport explosives and personnel involved in the attack on the US embassy in Kenya.

The multinational forces are currently engaged in intercepting ships and boats suspected of carrying Osama Bin Laden and the al-Qaida operatives in the Arabian Sea. While these measures are in force, several states have ordered a review of port security as fears grow that ships carrying terrorists may be docking in their ports.

Unfortunately, most people do not associate terrorism with ports and harbours. They fail to appreciate that water can act as a means of intrusion that finds no parallel in land security. Swimmers, divers, fast motor boats, subsurface vessels and floating debris offer an excellent means of intrusion. Port authorities appear so optimistic and argue that ‘it hasn’t happened here’ and then extrapolate to add ‘it can’t happen here’. This certainly is a matter of concern.

The maritime community believes that seaports are a safe haven for terrorist activities. Big cargo ships and large vessels with truck size container dock at ports almost everyday. Huge tankers steam into harbours and tie up at terminals to discharge oil and gas into pipeline terminals. These vessels are subjected to routine crew and cargo manifest inspections. The cargo is rarely subjected to thorough inspection.

As regards containers, only a few are examined for their content. According to US custom authorities, only 2 per cent of the 600,000 cargo containers that enter seaports each day on more than 500 ships are inspected. Of these, only a few are examined at the time of unloading at the port and the balance at their respective destinations.

According to maritime experts, containers are the most suitable means of transporting men and materials for terrorist activities. Crew members of these vessels belong to different nationalities. Their numbers vary depending on the size and type of the vessel. It could be as low as 10 or as high as 60. In the case of cruise liners, their numbers may even exceed hundred.

The situation gets more complicated in case of vessels that fly ‘flags of convenience’ and employ multinational crews. It is virtually impossible to verify the authenticity of the identity of the crew.
Besides there is a major problem of counterfeit and improperly issued mariner documentation, particularly among the Third World seafarer supplying countries. Under the circumstances, it is virtually impossible to detect potentially undesirable crew members. Interestingly, the ship itself is a safe den for undesirable elements. There are several hidden spaces, holds and compartments in the ship that are difficult to inspect. Some spaces are so unfamiliar that it may be difficult to locate them without the help of the ship’s compartment drawings. Modern day tankers, bulk carriers and cargo vessels are very large and can easily carry dangerous devices, substances and stowaways within spaces internal to the ship.

It is evident that seaports are a weak link of national security. Compared to the attention being given to airline security, port security has gone unnoticed even though these are the nerve centres of economy and the ends of the energy lifelines. Bulk of our oil and gas requirements are being funnelled into the country through these highly vulnerable terminals. Given the potential dangers, the security at seaports is far from adequate. Port officials are conscious of scenarios such as fully loaded tanker exploding in the harbours, explosives in containers, ship hijacking and terrorists as stowaways. They are aware of these weaknesses but are constrained due to lack of adequate security personnel and equipment.

The question before port officials, however, is how to enhance security in such a dynamic environment against such elusive threats. This is a question that is unique and vitally important to maritime security agencies and the nations. It, therefore, calls for a systematic approach to security measures centered around ‘how to prevent’, ‘how to respond’, and ‘how to manage’ the consequences of asymmetric attacks. But there is also the need to think about ‘awareness’. According to experts, the old paradigm of prevention, response, and consequence management must now become awareness, prevention, response, and consequence management.

In countering terrorism ‘forewarned’ is ‘forearmed’. Therefore, a good security system should be capable of carrying out multiple functions such as denial, prevention, delay, detection, assessment, and response. Awareness involves recognising the threats well in advance and anticipating vulnerabilities. It also has to do with having access to detailed intelligence about adversaries and sharing that information more effectively among security agencies and international partners.
India has a long coastline and is blessed with 11 major and 163 minor ports. 85 per cent of Indian trade is carried by sea-borne transport. In 2001, Indian ports together handled 290 million tonnes of traffic. Most Indian ports take three-to-four days to clear a vessel allowing longer periods of stay.

As a multi-mission force, the Indian Coast Guard is a leader in ensuring India’s coastal and seaport security. As the lead agency, it provides a valuable service to the ports by making them safer, cleaner, and more secure. It works in close conjunction with the Indian Navy, customs authorities and the marine police. It needs to develop new responses to challenges from asymmetric threats such as terrorism. Its tools could include vulnerability assessments, action plans, quick response teams and damage assessment.

A model port guide with special attention to security guidelines, counter-terrorism, contingency plans, real-time cargo, people, vessel tracking systems and rigorous analytic models need to be prepared and implemented in all Indian ports. It needs to explore the possibility of acquiring off the shelf technologies such as radar systems for harbour monitoring, sonars for underwater detection, closed circuit TV systems, infra red devices and an efficient command control, communication system that is linked with both national and international intelligence agencies. The Coast Guard also needs to extend the defensive perimeter of port security seawards and counter asymmetric threats away from the port area.

(Commander Vijay Sakhuja is a maritime security analyst and can be contacted at sakhuja—v@hotmail.com)