Maritime transportation is of the utmost importance for world trade yet the treat of possible terrorist attacks against maritime targets are not well addressed. Ships are not protected from potential dangers as they travel through strategic chokepoints that could be used to create havoc on not only the international economy, but the environment and local peoples as well. The paper outlines the importance of maritime transportation, the vulnerabilities it has and the laws and international cooperation that exists in the area of maritime security. In the second half of the paper, another important concern for maritime security, human smuggling, is discussed in detail.