NATO is currently congregated in Wales and is brainstorming ideas to pioneer a definitive long-term plan to ensure the security of cargo-carrying vessels in a turbulent global arena.
Reuters reported that a petroleum tanker was attacked by pirates on September 3, 2014, a day before the summit began, which highlights the immediacy of the issue at hand.
The threat of maritime piracy is most prevalent around Southeast Asia and east Africa, however, in an increasingly technological world cybercrime can strike at anytime, anywhere.
Shipping accounts for 90% of the globe’s transported goods, therefore secure sea lanes are the backbone of international trade.
At present, NATO has two major maritime operations: the counter-terrorist Operation Active Endeavour, and the counter-piracy programme Ocean Shield.
While efforts to tackle piracy have seen results in recent years, maritime piracy has not been entirely eradicated. NATO will be balancing the thought of whether to maintain its security presence or defer its responsibility to other international security bodies.
Via: http://www.porttechnology.org
