CHALLENGES AND PROSPECT OF PRIVATE MARITIME SECURITY COMPANIES IN NIGERIA MARITIME ENVIRONMENT

1.1 Introduction

Private Maritime security is the protection of vessel both internally and externally. The areas from which ships and maritime operations need protecting include terrorism, piracy, robbery, illegal trafficking of people, illegal fishing and pollution (Mitags, 2021). Maritime Security is one of the latest buzzwords of international relations. Major actors in maritime policy, ocean governance and international security have in the past decade started to include maritime security in their mandate or reframed their work in such terms. They refer to threats such as maritime inter-state disputes, maritime terrorism, piracy, trafficking of narcotics, people and illicit goods, arms proliferation, illegal fishing, environmental crimes, or maritime accidents and disasters.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Maritime Security is the grouping of preventive and responsive actions to guard the maritime sphere against threats and intended illegitimate acts (Feldt, Roeli, and Thiele, 2013). The maritime domain’s worth for states can be designated in terms of its natural assets, its importance for transport and trade, power forecast and defence, and the maritime atmosphere’s intrinsic value (Lundqvist, 2013). There are domestic challenges ranging from Corruption, Ill Equipped Navy and Geography. While at the international level (Regional and Global), the international actors have shown signs of weak responses despite their interests and together with lack of effective coordination with the host Gulf of Guinea states especially Nigeria towards a collective strategy. The outcome of most reports and researches on maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea continue to make references to Nigeria as an international hotspot for illegal activities on sea.

Maritime operations and their associated facilities and infrastructure collectively represent one of the single greatest unaddressed challenges to the security of nations and the global economy today. The reason that ports and shipping activity are so difficult to secure lies primarily in their technology. Ports are typically large, asymmetrical activities dispersed over hundreds of acres of land and water so that they can simultaneously accommodate ship, truck and rail traffic, petroleum product/liquid offload, storage or piping, and container storage.

The movement of freight, cargo (solid or liquid), and transport through a port is generally on a “queuing” system, meaning that any delay snarls all operations. Whether or not delays are related to security, security generally falls by the wayside in the interest of time management or convenience. Globally, there are very few uniform standards for point-to-point control of security on containers, cargoes, vessels or crews — a port's security in one nation remains very much at the mercy of a port's security, or lack thereof, in another nation. Organized crime is entrenched in many ports and a large majority of them still do not require background checks on dock workers, crane operators or warehouse employees. Most ports lease large portions of their facility to private terminal operating companies, who are responsible for their own security. The result of this is a “balkanized”, uneven system of port security and operations management as a whole.

Therefore, in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to appraise the Challenges and Prospect of Private Maritime Security Companies in Nigeria Maritime Environment.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

Investigation revealed that maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is more directly politically driven. In Nigeria, politics onland directly result in offshore actions, causing the hub of insecurity on land in the Niger Delta region to spill into the Gulf of Guinea to promote bad order at sea. According to the maritime watchdog - the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the waters of Nigeria are now the second most dangerous in the world, next to Somalia. The proliferation of piracy in the West African region has been of concern amongst government and the oil industry since 1999. With militant groups turning pirates in the Niger Delta, claiming that they are sabotaging the oil industry for political purposes in protest of the mismanagement of Nigeria's oil wealth. However, these political grievances are increasingly taking on a criminal nature (Uadiale and Yonmo, 2010a).

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to appraise the Challenges and Prospect of Private Maritime Security Companies in Nigeria Maritime Environment using Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To analyze the importance of an effective Nigerian Private Maritime Security Companies and the various challenges faced by it;
2. To explore the rationale for the importance of Nigerian Private Maritime Security Companies;
3. To determine the international aspect (Regional and International) constraints that may hinder Nigerian Private Maritime Security Companies;
4. To assess the effect of insecurity in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways; and
5. To evaluate the Maritime Security effectiveness in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is maritime security effective in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways?
• Are there any possible effects of insecurity in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways?
• How can maritime security, information and communications technology be assessed?
• What are the importance of an effective Nigerian Private Maritime Security Companies and the various challenges faced by it?
• What is the rationale for the importance of Nigerian Private Maritime Security Companies?
• What are the international aspect (Regional and International) constraints that may hinder Nigerian Private Maritime Security Companies?
• What level of security strategies are used towards protecting workers in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There are no domestic views that may thwart Nigeria’s quest for an effective maritime security
• H1: There are domestic views that may thwart Nigeria’s quest for an effective maritime security

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There is no significant impact of private maritime security in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways
• H1: There is significant impact of private maritime security in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways

Hypothesis Three

• H0: Maritime private security cannot be assessed in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways
• H1: Maritime private security can be assessed in Port Harcourt to Bonny Island Waterways

1.7 Significance of Study

In Nigeria, the impact of ICT in the maritime sector for maritime operations and security cannot be over emphasized. It is as a result of this that this research study is determined to assess the impact of Private Maritime Security Companies on security of Maritime operations. This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.8 Scope of Study

The study focuses on the Appraisal of the Challenges and Prospect of Private Maritime Security Companies in Nigeria Maritime Environment and Prospect using Port Harcourt to Bonny Island as a case study.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

1.10 Definition of Terms

Maritime: This is connected with the sea, especially in relation to seaborne trade or naval matters.

Security: This refers to protection of a person, building, organization, or country against threats.

Information and Communications Technology: This refers to an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications.