Nature and origin of major security concerns and potential threats to the shipping industry

During the last decades, maritime security has always stood as a separate critical problem for both shipowners and crews of sea-going ships, characterized by alternating periods of relative stability and periods of occurrence and growth of new threats, which proceeded from times of sailing fleet to an epoch of iron steam shipbuilding. Certainly, it is difficult to overestimate the significant role of the scientific community, which has been researching this problem for a long time, studying its scientific and practical sides. The professional experience of seafarers in sufficient measure, served as a basis of interest to this question, has led to the development of strategies and complex measures, which until now provided safety for ships and their crewmembers. Without recent advances in maritime security, shipping as an industry would not be able to reach the current level of reliability in shipping processes. Each generation of humanity has prioritized maritime security, contributing to improving its standards and stressing the importance of continuous development of the theoretical base. At least 23 million tons of cargo and 55,000 passengers move daily by water transport, so the concept of maritime safety applies not only to the safety of life at sea, ship and cargo security but also to the prevention of maritime accidents and pollution. The increasing share of sea and river transport in the international cargo and passenger turnover leads to the need to increase demands on maritime safety and security.