Assessment of Legal Framework for Ships and Port Facility Security in Tanzania.

Ombock, Aveline Jonathan (2025) Assessment of Legal Framework for Ships and Port Facility Security in Tanzania. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

Tanzania's maritime legal framework is essential for regulating national waters, trade and security. However, inconsistencies and overlapping mandates among the various laws and enforcement agencies create challenges in implementation and coordination. This assessment examines the key legal contradictions, jurisdictional overlaps, and gaps in enforcement focusing on the various laws governing maritime security in Tanzania. The study also highlights on the regulatory and operational weaknesses in the inter-agency coordination, legal enforcement, and regional cooperation. The study employs both doctrinal legal research methodology and comparative legal research methodology analyzing primary and secondary data in a qualitative approach which helps the researcher to venture analysis in legislation and scholarly work. Then came through with several findings such as inconsistency with the governing laws, contradicting provisions in granting supervisory mandate over maritime security, conflicts of provision in some of the maritime offences and punishments set thereto as well as operational weaknesses in regulating the port and port facilities as well as aligning to international benchmarks. It is clear that Tanzania's maritime security framework plays a critical role in safeguarding national waters, economic activities, international trade, port facilities and national security. Despite the contradictions within existing laws and weak enforcement mechanisms at times undermine the maritime security efforts. Thus, this study proposes legal reforms, institutional restricting, and increased investment in technology to enhance maritime security and compliance to international standards.

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