Responding to international terrorism: The securitisation of the United Kingdom’s ports

Abstract

Illustrates the way in which the pursuit of a ‘war on terror’ in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the United States of America on 11 September 2001 framed a policy environment that securitised UK ports.

Provides a detailed elaboration of counter-terrorism practice in UK ports in the context of responses to international terrorism, laying out a typology that others interested in port security can work from.

Highlights the spatial dimension to the securitisation of UK ports alongside its temporal dimension, noting the pursuit, particularly by the British state and port owners, for greater knowledge about, and through this control over, activities associated with UK ports.

Contributes towards efforts to more clearly map and conceptualise maritime security by illustrating the way in which security practice within the shore component of the maritime domain—ports—was justified and practices institutionalised.

This article lays out a typology of counter-terrorism practice in the UK ports in the context of responses to international terrorism, providing a mechanism to examine port security. Focusing on developments in the years after the International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) Code came into force on 1 July 2004, the article first lays out the policy environment in which counter-terrorism practice was implemented, arguing that the securitisation of UK ports was framed by the pursuit of the ‘war on terror’. With this complete, the article moves to elaborate the typology, examining ‘legislation and regulations’, ‘institutional developments and infrastructure changes’ alongside ‘working practices’ implemented. The article concludes by utilising the typology to argue that the counter-terrorism security response relating to UK ports in this context was constantly evolving, layered and increasingly expansive in scope, highlighting a spatial dimension to the securitisation of UK ports.