Maritime Systems that Ensure Ship Security

There is no denying that maritime trade is a major target for criminals, and serious criminals at that. Most of the world’s international trade goes by sea, so managing to plunder it is considered a jackpot for international criminals operating either at ports or on the ships themselves. For ecommerce companies shipping their goods internationally, this can be a costly disaster that can see a great deal of stock simply disappear.

And that is not the only problem associated with international shipping. There is also the matter of cargo safety. Goods which are not loaded and packed according to the strictest standards can be damaged in transit, especially when waters are rough.

Accordingly, maritime security and safety are absolutely essential. Door to door international shipping service Preferred Shipping say that any shipping service worth its salt will ensure customers that the shipping is to be as secure and safe as possible.

Luckily for many of us, there are also a series of international maritime systems in place which are designed to ensure this. These are all very robust and effective – maritime trade is just too valuable and the criminals too advanced for them not to be.

But what are these systems that ensure the safety and security of cargo and people crossing the world’s oceans? Knowing what these are can certainly allow you to know what to expect – and what to insist upon when you ship something internationally.

Your Responsibilities

But before going on to these maritime systems for safety and security, it is worth pointing out that much of the responsibility for the security of your cargo rests with the ecommerce companies themselves. Specifically involving order fulfillment and packaging.

You can be sending your goods through the most secure international shipping service in the world, but if you haven’t packed your goods securely then they could still be liable to damage.

For medium or larger ecommerce companies that use third-party fulfilment, this is a matter of ensuring the fulfilment service is up to standard, both in shipping and in packaging your products. If you handle fulfillment in house, it is all about packing them properly.

There isn’t space to get in to how to pack well because it depends on the goods, and those goods can be potentially anything. However, if you know what type of products you are to send, this information can be very easily sourced. Be sure that you source it.

Maritime Security Systems

With that said then, here follow some of those maritime security systems:

Ship Security Reporting System

This is an alarm system that collects ship distress signals at a central location and can respond with security vessels from the nearest port. It is optimized to be highly effective, and even automatic in some cases.

Automatic Identification System

The AIS is a highly advanced identification system which pinpoints ships along their route, identifies them, and combines this with all sorts of other navigation data in order to ensure a quick response if anything goes wrong.

Global Maritime Distress Safety System

GMDSS receives distress signals from ships in danger, and compatibility with this system is a legal requirement for all ships (certainly those departing from the US). This means ensuring compliance with this system is something you can check your shipping service is doing.

Automated Manifest System (AMS)

The AMS is a freight tracking system that requires ships to identify the cargo they are carrying. This is specifically for security at maritime ports and is an effective anti-crime measure.

So, with all these international security systems in place around the world, there is no excuse for shipping companies not to ensure safety by guaranteeing compliance with them.