Securing The Future

International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, commended governments and the shipping industry for their efforts in ensuring implementation of maritime security measures, including the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code‚-the ISPS Code-which entered into force on July 1.

The ISPS Code requires ships and ports to implement basic security procedures such as identification checks and restricted access to secure areas.

But Mitropoulos warned against complacency.

"We must not make the mistake of resting on our laurels and assuming the work has been completed… we must make sure that high levels of vigilance and awareness are maintained and built upon until they become second nature throughout the shipping and port industries. Terrorism is not a matter of concern to one country or a group of countries - it is a global issue that affects us all and we should spare no effort to ensure that, together, we build a robust and resilient defence."

The IMO's global technical co-operation programme on maritime security has helped member states to fully implement the security measures. In the Pacific, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's Regional Maritime Programme (RMP) manages IMO projects. It has also worked with AusAID to run in-country and regional ISPS training courses for 171 ship, company and port security officers, 27 maritime administrators and 15 maritime training instructors. Thirty auditors from 13 Pacific Island countries have also completed security-auditing courses for the ISPS Code.

A container ship in Apia’s port. Samoa has benefited from regional security training. Photo: Samantha Magick

The news has not been universally positive however.

In mid September the U.S. Coast Guard announced it will intensify scrutiny of ships registered in countries with substandard maritime security as well as vessels coming from ports in countries in which implementation of the new international security regime is uncertain.

The Coast Guard will be increasingly boarding vessels flying the flags of countries that have "not implemented basic anti-terrorist security measures" including Cook Islands.

For the month of July the Coast Guard detained, denied entry to or took other actions against 59 vessels, it said in a compliance report.

The Coast Guard says it will be increasingly boarding vessels coming from ports in the 17 countries that have failed to report compliance with the ISPS to the International Maritime Organization including Nauru and Solomon Islands.

The Coast Guard examined the results of its July and August security compliance boardings to determine which countries' vessels had a higher than average rate of compliance problems.

It intends to update the list each month until the first annual report is issued next April. Countries still not having complied by then will be targeted for an entire year.

"Right now, we are relying on countries to report the actions they have taken to increase security in their ports," Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Thomas Collins says. "Over the next three years, we plan to visit 135 countries around the world to share and align our security practices. We will use that information to help us make decisions about security for vessels arriving here. In the meantime, it is vital that countries report this information so that all countries can take proper steps to protect their ports."

The Marshall Islands Ship Registry was very quick to stress its good security and compliance record at the 2004 Business Opportunities Conference in Los Angeles recently, during sessions to encourage shippers to register their vessels in the Marshall Islands.

The operation is the ninth largest open registry in the world. Vessel types include oil tankers, bulk carriers, offshore exploration, production, construction and pipe laying vessels, container ships and yachts.

In an open letter mid year, the registry's William R. Gallagher denied there were terrorism and security concerns attached to the registry. "The Marshall Islands Ship Registry is the world leader in complying fully and on time with the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code on counter terrorism. It is also the only open registry that was in full compliance with the ISPS Code during examinations in the United States ports by the US Coast Guard in the first three weeks of its implementation," Gallagher wrote.

At the Business Opportunities conference the Registry's CEO, Baron Bigler said they have 518 active vessels, and as of July 1 they had 100% compliance. "This is a great achievement for all involved," Bigler said.

The Commonwealth of Northern Marianas' large delegation at the conference included Carlos Salas, the Executive Director of the Commonwealth Ports Authority, who was promoting its transshipment services. Salas says the port of Saipan was recently improved to the tune of $40 million, and berthing capacity has been increased almost five-fold to 2400 feet.

He played up CNMI's proximity to Asia and the fact that it is U.S. certified and said it is "positioning ourselves to directly service US hotspots."

Salas also stressed compliance and security performance in Saipan, something the authorities in the Cook Islands, Nauru and Solomon Islands will be hoping they are in a position to do in the near future.