Development of a conceptual framework of private maritime security company of Malaysia

ABSTRACT MOHA and the Malaysian NSC developed an SOP for Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSC) in Malaysia for local security companies to follow. However, the SOP they developed was based on local regulations relating to the land-based Private Security Company and Firearms Act. Consequently, these regulations are not compatible with local and international maritime law and practices. This happened because no framework for PMSC had been established to guide the development of a Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) that is compatible with existing national and international maritime law and practices. Framework is defined as ‘A basic structure underlying a system or a concept’. The objective of this study is to create a conceptual framework for PMSC in Malaysia so that the resulting SOP would be fully compatible with national and international maritime law and practices. The research methodology adopted in this study consists of several activities based on the Delphi Method. Surveys were conducted and safety experts were consulted and invited to express their views, either through interviews or workshops. It is concluded that this new framework was developed based on relevant agencies and expert consensus and should be implemented in Malaysia in order to produce a consistent, effective, and secure action plan which addresses the main role of PMSC.