Ports are critical pieces of national infrastructure, enabling the flow of goods in and out of a country. They are also prime targets, both in times of war and of peace. Ensuring their ongoing smooth operation requires advanced technological solutions and close cooperation between civilian authorities and the military.
In these episodes
Ports play a vital role in ensuring a nation has the commodities it needs to operate and allowing it to generate income through trade. In the case of Sweden, nine out of ten imported products arrive by sea. For many nations around the Baltic Sea, an obstruction to one or several ports would have significant and rapid impacts on daily life. With 15 percent of the world’s cargo traffic flowing across the Baltic Sea, such closures could have flow-on effects not only in Europe but also globally.
Ports face both physical and digital threats that have the potential to hinder normal operations. By blocking the approaches to a harbour, an aggressor could stop merchant vessels entering and leaving and quickly shut down operations. As well as by conventional means, such blockages could be created by using attack drones or autonomous vessels. Modern ports are also highly automated. A cyber-attack in which equipment is shut down or instructed to operate in an irregular fashion would also result in a port closure. In times of peace, port authorities also need to manage threats such as smuggling, other criminal activities and intelligence gathering by foreign powers.
One way that port facilities can be protected is by maintaining a symbiotic relationship with naval bases and coast guard facilities. Having armed forces nearby with their own threat detection and counter strike capabilities can greatly reduce an opponent’s willingness to target a port. Conducting regular exercises together can strengthen ties between civilian and military partners.
Independent of this, ports can maintain their own sensor and surveillance systems to increase situational awareness. These require a robust management system that can bring together and interpret data from multiple sources. Strong cyber security is also crucial to minimise the risk of cyber-attack.
Strength through cooperation
Keeping Baltic Sea ports open is crucial for the smooth operation of the societies they serve.
In these episodes of Shielding the Baltic Sea, Naval and Maritime Security Expert Dr Sebastian Bruns says having navy bases located close to commercial ports sends out powerful messages. “Navy ships coming into a port signals deterrence,” he says. “It also signals a resolute defence, both to the population that sees the warships and the naval assets in the in the port, as well as to a potential enemy.”
Johan Dahlman, Security Manager with Ports of Stockholm, says it’s also important for ports to take a proactive approach to their own security.
“The biggest security threats that harbours face today, I would say, are IT cyber-attacks, intelligence threats, and smuggling and stealth.”
“Ports of Stockholm has over the years both developed and expanded the use of technical equipment for the protection of our harbour facilities. For example, we have surveillance by a traffic control centre which is open 24/7, year-round, manned by our own personnel. We also have close cooperation with other Swedish ports around developing and applying best practice.”
Angelica Persson, Business Development Analyst at Saab, says an advanced combat management system can play a pivotal role in port protection, making sense of a diverse range of sensors and inputs. “A combat management system brings together computer processes and presents them to a decisionmaker so that they can do their job,” she says. “We have long worked to optimise the foundations needed for decisionmakers to be able to operate at this increased level of conflict.”