Competition and cooperation between public and private maritime security institutions: An outlook on the Strait of Hormuz and the Malacca Straits

The ocean has always been a resource whether or not used for a wide range of activities. International maritime trade involves many different components because of the versatility of the industry. Maritime trade is critical to world trade for economical reasons, transporting 90 per cent of the world's 5.1 billion tons of international trade to different ports. The maritime industry requires an internationalized open market to keep the global economy functioning. Contention within the maritime sector may involve political matters of territorial waters, navigation rights within a country and the general security of national waters. The most visual change in the shipping industry is the speed at which security is being managed throughout the world. Regional players as well as international players need to cooperate for effective maritime security to occur. The make-up of the ocean is unpredictable: coastlines vary, straits and passages may be extremely wide or narrow, and so a rigid framework for security cannot be implemented on the ocean. This Thesis will analyze the cooperation of the public security apparatus and private institutions in order to address security measures on the ocean. Maritime security has been the focus of international and national regulatory bodies such as the International Maritime Organization(IMO), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Navy however privatized firms have begun cooperating with public security establishments. The combined cooperation from both public and private security institutions gives maritime dilemmas' a better chance of properly securing a narrow strait. The transition from the security establishment (National Governmental Security) securing maritime trade to privatized security and non-state actors will need to be researched thoroughly to understand if there can be a cooperation of security measures between the two institutions.