This paper provides a literature review of the state of the art on implementation and compliance of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), for the case of Mexico. This investigation was initially oriented solely towards Mexico, but due to the absence of research within this subject for the referred country the review had to be done through subcategories with the conditional connection of Mexico and relevant issues were selected. The primary data confirmed the absence of research within this subject in Mexico. The secondary data, were other words related to the ISPS Code were used for the search, allowed for a wider geographical coverage and an expanded on general bases the scope of analysis, since ten (10) different academic databases were exploited. The literature review from an author-centric approach is initially presented; then, it is used as the basis to further develop (and examine) the concept-centric approach, through eight selected categories. The careful screening of literature, constructed on specific concepts, allowed the identification of cross fertilization of such concepts in the respective fields. It is observed that the research efforts focused on the ISPS Code and the development of a Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP) have an integrated perspective, where the categories of terrorism and counterterrorism, as well as maritime security management and the issue of port security have a strong interaction and dominant status. The results demonstrate the limited number of academic contributions in these areas from America Central and South America in relation to other parts of the globe, as well as the total absence of research efforts about the ISPS Code in Mexico. In the scientific contributions on the subject were Mexico is included; it is in reference to isolated cases of armed robbery, drugs organizations or proliferation of crime on general bases, but not regarding the ISPS Code itself. The absence of scientific research on this area for the specific country might also be related to the lack of a national maritime security policy and a poor maritime security culture as the authors have pointed out in other contributions.
After 75 years of State oil monopoly, Mexico performed the first business oil round in 2015 involving the private sector. This auction-round offered 14 oil exploration fields located on the continental shelf to private companies. The development and exploitation of these hydrocarbon fields faces significant challenges regarding security. The economic loss for theft of hydrocarbons through illegal connections to pipelines is estimated to 973 million, 125 thousand U.S. dollar, only for the year of 2014. While productive research has been made, it has mainly focused on transportation systems and basically, pipelines. The development and establishment of policies prioritizing maritime security and protection of critical offshore infrastructure against theft of hydrocarbons, drugs organizations and terror attacks needs to be included in the national agenda to improve maritime security and mitigate potential security threats at sea, including damage to the marine environment. This could increase the trust of investors and stakeholders and would contribute to the faster development of new exploration and production fields. While the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) is the cornerstone for the construction of the port's security program and establishes the requirements of the Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP), including oil port facilities, it has not been fully implemented in several important Mexican ports. It is concluded that some important ports lack many of the core security processes, procedures and controls that should be included in any PFSP. This article briefly reviews the situation of the oil industry from a security perspective and discusses key elements of maritime security; addressing the necessity of the inclusion of maritime security and protection of critical oil infrastructure offshore in the national agenda that would provide for future research directions in the maritime security domain and contribute to the establishment of a national maritime security policy.