Threat and Environment Assessment

Threat and Environment Assessment (TEA)

The Threat and Environment Assessment (TEA) is a comprehensive assessment of potential threats to and the security environment for commercial maritime operations.  The assessment is based on identifying variables which influence the respective threat and their impact within a specified geographical area. It examines the likelihood of an incident occurring and the form such an incident is likely to take in the respective area over a pre-defined timeframe (typically six months).

Maritime operators are typically unable to lower specific threat levels by influencing the underlying variables. However, all variables are subject to change over time, e.g. changes in the intentions or capabilities of potential perpetrators. These variables should therefore be re-assessed as required for planned or ongoing operations.

In an additional step, the threat levels assessed in a TEA can be used to identify the risk level for a particular type of operations. Determining the risk level also requires an assessment of the vulnerability and the potential consequence of a particular incident. Appropriate mitigation measures can then be implemented to lower the risk level. All these aspects can be considered within a Security Risk Assessment (SRA).