All at Sea

Abstract

The Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security emphasized in their 2016-2017 report to the Parliament, that the need for a common understanding of preparedness concepts and knowledge of how cross-institutional organizations use concepts and definitions is a prerequisite for understanding and interaction in preparedness and crisis response measures. The concept of civil preparedness means national measures to maintain or establish effective transportation during times of tension, crisis, and war, in which merchant ships and thus naval cooperation plays a crucial role.

The thesis purpose is to discuss the research question: to what extent can differences in risk perspectives within organizations in naval cooperation affect risk communication and civil preparedness in the high North? In order to do so, investigating and associate prominent risk perspectives to organizations with roles and tasks to naval cooperation was necessary.

A scenario of a military invasion of Northern Norway published by the Norwegian Directorate of Civil Protection (DSB) is used for the thesis purpose because the concept of naval cooperation includes risk communication between stakeholders which is responsible for civil preparedness. In such a scenario the concept of naval cooperation will be in force and coincides with the DSB scenario. This enables an illumination of the research question.

The empirical data identifies that the representative organizations have splayed risk perspectives. This is represented within their own sectors and within the sectoral levels of communication. Based on five pre-defined risk perspectives, the overall prominent risk perspective seems to be a mix of ideas and concepts of risk. This applies both to the investigated organizations as well as the numerous documents, regulations, guidelines, and directives, also to the different organizations from the top level, to the educational system and at the operational level.

The empiricism holds consensus with a risk and vulnerability analysis of Norwegian food supply, which concluded that the greatest weakness is associated with the delegation of responsibilities between actors. and one of the suggested measures to improve civil preparedness is to examine the possibility of establishing a joint emergency plan for crises.

An important element in such joint emergency plan, also consistent with the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security 2016-2017 report to the Parliament, is the need for a common understanding of preparedness concepts, knowledge of cross-institutional organizations conceptual use of concepts and definitions in preparedness as a prerequisite for understanding and interaction in naval cooperation for civil preparedness.