Citation

Bichou K, Lai KH, Lun YHV, Cheng TCE. Transp. J. 2007; 46(1): 5-21.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, American Society of Traffic and Transportation, Publisher Pennsylvania State University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The shipping and maritime industry has come from a compliance culture where fragmented thinking has been the norm rather than the exception. This has particularly been the case in maritime security where, despite repeated warnings of the danger and consequences stemming from actual and potential security incidents (cargo theft, stowaways, drug smuggling, illegal human trafficking, piracy, and, lately, terrorism), neither the perception of security risk nor the response to it had nurtured a proper "security culture" until new security regulations came into force.

We examine how the principles of quality management (QM) can be employed to ensure maritime security for liner shipping companies (LSCs), and emphasize the interface relationships between the regulatory framework and the QM system, which appear to be overlooked in both theory and practice. This article suggests a conceptual framework for managing quality in the context of the new maritime security regime. We illustrate the application of this framework with an LSC using a ten-step approach to ensure regulatory compliance and quality conformance with the 24-Hour Advance Vessel Manifest Rule so that the legal requirements, as well as the operational and service goals, can be fully met. The article also provides procedural mechanisms and guidelines for LSCs and other maritime interests contemplating the implementation of maritime security with quality in view of similar undertakings.