OAGR 2165 - Maritime Security: The Ungoverned World and Protecting International Trade

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

The entire global trade system is built on and relies upon a privately owned fleet of merchant ships that carry 80% of everything we consume and yet there is very little study or public discourse about this system, how it is governed and how it is protected, a phenomenon referred to as “sea blindness”.

This seminar is designed to introduce the basis of privately run maritime trade, the threats faced by ship owners, ports, and seafarers, and the systems in place to protect them. It will tell the story of mercantile trade on the world’s seas focusing on the 20th and 21st Century modernisation and formalisation of the merchant fleet, its governing systems under UN agreements, and its practical business considerations versus the geopolitical priorities of governments and the intentions of criminals and terrorists to profit from shipping’s loss – from gray zone aggression to kidnaps at sea.

The seminar will draw upon international maritime law and trade agreements, international business standards, and national level government policies. Throughout, it will maintain a practical approach on what these issues mean for the seafarer, the ship owner, the policy maker and the consumer to illustrate the real-life impact of maritime polices – and the very real impact when there are no policies – as well as the career paths available to students in the both maritime sector and risk management consulting.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• To experience the practical use of methodologies deployed by maritime security professionals in, for example, risk assessments and intelligence briefings
• To gain an understanding of the importance of shipping to the global world order and geopolitics
• To gain a baseline understanding of maritime law and the operations of the shipping industry
• To learn what systems are in place to preserve and protect shipping

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Security Threat and Risk Assessment Methodology
• Concise intelligence briefing for the corporate audience
• Prioritizing security versus business requirements
• Consulting techniques: knowing how to understand a client and discover their needs

Every student will be offered one-to-one feedback by either email or in-person meetings regarding their course, assessments and general career advice.

• A 600-word Ship Security Assessment (40%) – This is a take home assignment replicating a typical task of an intelligence analyst in the maritime sector. We will run an in-class exercise also but that will not be part of the graded assignment. The students will be provided with a selection of ships and transit routes to assess.
• A 5-minute individual or 15-min group simulated geopolitical/security threat briefing designed to inform a ship owner who needs to make a risk/business decision (40%).
• Assessed level of course engagement 20%

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 0.8 hours a week / 10 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 1.3 hours a week / 16 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 50 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours a week / 50 hours a semester