Explaining the understanding of maritime security in 2022 is quite difficult, partly because of the wide reach to start with. Traditionally, maritime security is associated with the idea of a country's national security, with limited state-to-state actors. But major changes continue to occur, today maritime security is considered a much broader concept. Professor Natalie Klein from the School of Global and Public Law at the University of New South Wales revealed that currently maritime security tends to be about protecting a country's marine territory, protecting its infrastructure, economy, environment and people from certain dangerous actions that occur at sea (Committee, 2021). The scope is wider, and the actors involved are more diverse from the state, businessmen, scientists, to the civil society.
The difficulty of interpreting maritime security literally is because until now there is no definite definition of maritime security itself. Our understanding of maritime security is influenced by space and time. Change forms an uncertain pattern. Prior to the 9/11 incident, scholars used to talk about maritime security as traditional threats such as coastal security and naval power. After the 9/11 incident which influenced the threat pattern, the scholar revealed that there was a wider pattern of many non-traditional threats, such as armed robbery, piracy, drug trafficking, marine pollution and so on.
As such, it is very difficult to come to a common agreement on what maritime security means to different actors and regions. Is it divided into two traditional and non-traditional senses, or does it follow regional patterns, or predict future patterns? We are currently in the uncertainty phase, where uncertainty is a pattern that needs to be researched and understood.
Differences in understanding of maritime security in various regions have actually led to a new option, namely the option of a pattern of uncertainty. In the African Union, for example, the term maritime security emphasizes the issue of oil theft and lack of navigational assistance. Meanwhile in Southeast Asia, there are continuing concerns about armed robbery, interstate disputes and terrorist incidents. In the European Commonwealth, more emphasis is placed on illegal migration and protection of underwater cultural heritage. In China, of course with the expansion of the Silk Road by maintaining (read: imposing) the nine dash line as a historical maritime right. Now, one that is attracting attention is that the Arctic and Antarctic regions that were once considered safe are now filled with concern. Moreover, at COP-26 the discussion on climate change issues is now called a climate disaster to emphasize the critical condition and call out to world leaders to be fully committed not to enlarge the damage that has occurred (ICCTF, 2021).
When the ice melts, it means that maritime security is not only concentrated on ships and people but is also affected by climate disasters that cause marine pollution in the Arctic region, Antarctica which means that it must not only be realized but show a definite commitment. It doesn't stop there, the pattern has developed to date due to the effects of COVID-19 which puts human health as an additional point that has an impact on understanding maritime security, countries are confused between dealing with pandemics and or dealing with the increase in the number of risks of robbery and piracy of ships by doubling. to the increased risk of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Philippines targeting ships in the Sulu Sea, Sulawesi, Indonesia (The Strategist, 2021). With the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have been forced to cut their budgets from the defense sector, leaving maritime security in a difficult position.
Change will continue to occur naturally or artificially. Such as the influence of technological advances on maritime security. With the development of technology and the ability of humans to control machines, scholars are concerned about the occurrence of cybersecurity attacks against ships and or port electronic systems, the use of drones for planning and or carrying out terrorist attacks, the use of autonomous ships at sea for armed robbery, piracy, human trafficking and other illegal activities. The concept of maritime security has developed rapidly in 2022, the trend that has occurred has involved the state to renewable technology, now it is no longer closed only for countries that can discuss maritime security, but civilians are also involved and become a reference for state policy in the protection clause. Now in 2022, to understand maritime security in a pattern of uncertainty where anything can be a threat as well as an advantage. Maritime security can be understood as an effort to protect things from threats that include national security, economy, human, environment, health, to renewable technology.
REFERENCE
Committee, I.R. and D. (2021). Corrected oral evidence: UNCLOS: fit for purpose in the 21st century? [Oral evidence transcripts]. London: House of Lords.
ICCTF. (2021) Apa itu COP26 dan Mengapa Penting? [News]. ICCTF - Indonesia Climate Change Trust Fund. Retrieved January 30, 2022 from https://www.icctf.or.id/apa-itu-cop26-dan-mengapa-penting/
Koopman, D. (2019). Photo Of Ship During Daytime [Photo]. Pexels. Retrieved February 1, 2022 from https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-ship-during-daytime-3327981/
The Strategist. (2020). Covid-19 membuat keadaan maritim Asia Pasifik jadi semakin rawan [News]. KONTAN. Retrieved January 30, 22 from https://internasional.kontan.co.id/news/covid-19-membuat-keadaan-maritim-asia-pasifik-jadi-semakin-rawan-1
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