Marine Policy · 2023 · 55 citations · 23 references
PlanningCybersecurityInternational RelationsCritical Infrastructure ProtectionInfrastructure PolicyInternational SecurityCritical Infrastructure GovernanceCritical Infrastructure Protection PolicyCybersecurity For Critical InfrastructureEnergy SecurityMarine ProtectionMaritime SecurityCritical Infrastructure Asset ProtectionCritical Infrastructure RiskMarine SafetyMarine SecurityMaritime Critical Infrastructure ProtectionMaritime CybersecurityMaritime Infrastructure SecurityMaritime Security Cooperation
Protection of critical maritime infrastructure has become a top political priority following the September 2022 Nord Stream pipeline attacks in the Baltic Sea. This paper investigates why safeguarding maritime infrastructure is a challenging task. The authors review maritime infrastructure types and threat categories, showing that labeling assets as critical is a political decision, and argue that industry cooperation, enhanced surveillance, and repair capacity investments are essential. The study concludes that protective measures must be tailored to maritime space and that integrating defense, diplomacy, marine safety, maritime security, and cyber security is necessary.
The protection of critical maritime infrastructures has become a top political priority, since the September 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. This contribution reveals why the protection of infrastructures at sea is a difficult task. Reviewing the spectrum of maritime infrastructures (transport, energy, data, fishing, ecosystems) and the potential threats to them (accidents, terrorism, blue crime, grey zone tactics) demonstrates that designating infrastructures as critical and worthy of special protection measures is a political choice. The analysis moreover shows the need of protective instruments that are tailored to the specificities of maritime space, and the need for integrating diverse policy fields, including defense, diplomacy, marine safety, maritime security and cyber security. Cooperation with the infrastructure industry, enhanced surveillance and investments in repair capacities are also required.
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