The identification and analysis of risks for civilian ports adapted to military uses

Abstract

Ports are part of the economic engine of a country, as they play a very important role in the maritime transport chain, either as a node or as a logistics platform. Therefore, they must be protected, maintained, and managed to guarantee their operability. Naval bases, which are generally seaports, are a specific type of port. They are points of support for fleets that contribute in a necessary way to the protection and defense of the territorial waters of a nation and on occasions, to other civil authorities. Even though these ports do not have a purely economic function, their role in national defense makes them critical infrastructures. It is because of this defensive character that military ports are the target of certain threats, such as terrorist attacks.Terrorism has increased considerably over the past years, making it increasingly difficult to predict due to changes in its modus operandi. After 9/11, the world made a formidable effort to prevent this attack from repeating. Among the most outstanding actions in the port sector, the development of the concept of critical infrastructure and the development of the ISPS Code stand out.Nowadays, it can be said that risk management can help to face possible measures against terrorist attacks, as it can determine how to update its current and future infrastructure. The purpose of this article is the divulgation of an investigation, which develops a methodology of risk management to apply in civilian ports adapted to military uses. The proposed methodology tries to simplify the process as much as possible, reducing the steps to be taken, in such a way that risk management becomes simple and functional. Moreover, it tries to exemplify the application of the proposed methodology in a civil port, in Malaga, Spain. The reason behind choosing a civilian port rather than a military port, is due to security reasons, since they must maintain its confidentiality and reserve its information. Finally, the proposed methodology could be applied on different areas, such as coastal management.