User:Laura Pilegaard

Blue crime
Blue crime is a concept in maritime security study that refers to serious organized crimes and offences that occur transnationally in the maritime domain and have the potential to inflict significant harm. Unlike most other security study concepts, blue crime centres on the sea rather than the state, on land, and the motive for these crimes is solely economic. Blue crime does not encompass all crimes at sea. Still, it is used to understand maritime crimes, focusing on the synergies and intersections rather than a formalized theory with specific propositions and hypotheses to be tested.

Blue crimes encompass severe crimes and offences that are structured, enduring, collaborative, purposive, and profit-seeking. According to Bueger and Edmunds, blue crime is one of three dimensions of maritime security. The others are interstate conflict and extremist violence, and they all have important intersections with each other and wider security challenges. These dimensions differ in the legal rules under which they operate, the actors involved and response strategies.

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Types of blue crime
''' Leading academic research classifies three main categories of blue crime, distinguished by their relationship with the sea and the objects of harm that require protection.

Crimes against mobility: This includes piracy and attacks on shipping, supply chains, and trade. These crimes often occur in choke points, for instance, in The Gulf of Aden. The geographical location and heavy traffic in this area make it a prime hot spot for piracy attacks.

Criminal flows: This encompasses smuggling, illegal drug trade, and trafficking of humans and weapons. An example of this can be found in what is known as the Golden Triangle, located between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, which was very well known for the immense trafficking of heroin and now methamphetamine.

Environmental crimes: This involves illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU), marine pollution, and harm to marine ecosystems. An example of this is IUU, which entails the violation of the laws of fishery by vessels or harvesters. This tendency is a global phenomenon, and despite various initiatives, the problem is expected to increase in the absence of a significant intervention.

Addressing blue crime
These blue crimes intersect with each other and broader security challenges, such as geopolitical conflicts and terrorism. For blue crimes to be addressed, Bueger and Edmunds argue that integrated responses and holistic analysis are crucial. The main international and regional actors that play significant roles in combating blue crime are the International Maritime Organization and the United Nations. Blue crime remains a critical area of study within maritime security, with ongoing challenges and evolving threats. Future research and policy efforts are essential for developing effective strategies to combat these crimes.

These various types of blue crimes intersect in three ways: the skills and capacities needed to carry them out, the geographic spaces in which the crimes occur and the facilitating crimes related to them. Firstly, the skills and resources required for one type of maritime crime are often applicable to others. For instance, access to a boat and seamanship skills are essential for legal and illegal activities such as artisanal and illicit fishing, trafficking, and piracy. Secondly, blue crimes often occur in the same geographic areas, particularly in critical geo-economic routes such as The Gulf of Aden. These routes attract significant maritime traffic, making these choke points prime targets for various forms of blue crime.

Geographic instability further exacerbates the concentration of maritime crimes due to weak or nonexistent law enforcement. Thirdly, convergence occurs through shared criminal enterprises and business practices, such as access to criminal markets, money laundering channels, fraud, forced labor, and corruption. Criminals may also participate in the legitimate economy, obscuring their illegal activities. For example, transnational organised crime groups may engage in illegal fishing and document fraud, while seemingly lawful fishing operators may launder illegally caught fish by mixing them with legal products and selling them through legitimate channels. These intersections enable maritime criminals to easily shift their activities between different types of blue crime, adapting to changing circumstances.