Serious and organised crime is a borderless, decentralised and a digitally-enabled global threat. It causes significant harm to Australia’s national interests – damaging our economy and global reputation, threatening supply chains and border integrity, and impacting the safety of our communities and citizens.
The cost of serious and organised crime was estimated to be $82.3 billion in 2023–24. Beyond the staggering economic impacts of organised crime, the broader harm caused is corrosive and vast – we all pay the price regardless of who we are.
Threats impacting the shipping industry
The shipping industry is not immune to the threat of serious and organised crime. Criminals are collaborative, aware of exploitable weakness and vulnerabilities, and increasingly embedded within legitimate systems. Criminal networks are adept at exploiting interconnected maritime trade practices by leveraging cargo streams to move their illicit commodities.
Criminals circumvent industry processes to import illicit goods into Australian seaports. Serious and organised crime networks will continue seeking to import illicit drugs into Australia due to heightened global production, high domestic consumption and strong profit margins. The same smuggling practices can be used to move other illicit commodities in and out of Australia such as weapons, tobacco and natural resources. Trafficking of these illicit goods puts Australia's security, prosperity and the welfare of our communities at great risk.
Organised crime risks the safety and reputation of the shipping industry. Criminal activity in the maritime domain can have tangible and significant impact on productivity, profits and for staff welfare. Illicit activities which subvert risk mitigations and controls may also result in civil and criminal liability, regulatory penalties and personal liability for directors. When criminal infiltration occurs, it can cause reputational damage, including loss of trust with regulators, clients, partners and investors. It impacts profits through vessel delays, operational disruption, supply chain re-routing, legal penalties, increased insurance premiums and cargo losses.
Corrupted or vulnerable employees can open the door to criminal activity. These ‘trusted insiders’ working within the supply chains and our ports share information with serious and organised criminal networks, actively colluding to exploit security vulnerabilities and weaknesses. For example, in September 2025, a joint task force investigation into employees working inside Sydney ports led to the seizure of approximately 500 kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $164 million.
Stronger together: securing our ports
The Australian Government has established processes to protect Australian seaports from criminal infiltration. Australia’s Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC) scheme seeks to strengthen the integrity of our borders by managing access to sensitive areas within Australia's seaports. Exploitation of the MSIC scheme represents a critical vulnerability to the maritime environment and supply chain integrity. The ACIC plays an active role in the MSIC security framework, undertaking criminal intelligence assessments on MSIC applicants to assess their potential engagement in, and connections with, serious and organised crime. The aim of the assessment process is to stop the criminal infiltration and exploitation of the maritime industry. The potential corruption of workers after they have obtained an MSIC remains an ongoing risk, and one that needs to be actively managed and stopped, in partnership with relevant government authorities.
Everyone in the maritime industry has a responsibility to harden the sector against crime. We all must proactively identify threats and vulnerabilities, share information and build relationships to protect the industry against criminal infiltration. Sharing information will help grow our understanding of when, where and how criminals are exploiting the industry. Proactive reporting of negligent non-compliance to the Australian Border Force via BorderWatch will assist in the hardening of the sector against crime and increase industry productivity and economic prosperity.
To minimise risks, organisations and staff should regularly monitor, review and/or report:
unauthorised or unusual access to data, information, systems and restricted areas
unexpected items within consignments
unexplained security events or poor adherence to security procedures
unauthorised or suspicious individuals in controlled areas
changes in behaviour, lifestyle or financial status.
Working together to identify and disrupt crime in the shipping industry has never been more important. Effectively tackling criminal threats in Australia’s shipping environment is impossible without engagement with industry partners. Here at the ACIC, we are committed to working closely with our partners, including the Australian Border Force, and to enhancing our engagement with industry, to share our understanding of the threat environment and to support the disruption of criminal threats to Australia. Together, we can protect the shipping industry and its workers, our economy, and the Australian community.
Heather Cook
ACIC Chief Executive Officer
Explore our website to learn more about the ACIC, or get in touch by emailing us at outreach@acic.gov.au.
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