15 October 2007
While the accepted view across the marine industry is that the onboard functioning and understanding of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code is comparatively straightforward across the world's fleet, two reports over the past seven days indicate that some Contracting Governments may not be confident that the code is as effective as it should be with respect to port security.
It could be, of course, that the governments concerned are seeking to upgrade their standards as a routine part of a proactive ethos of self examination and improvement, but the more cynical observer might comment that fundamental improvements are necessary because the ports concerned have never reached the right level of compliance with ISPS, despite the elapse of more than three years since the code's international implementation.
Several East African ports have recently been audited by the US government's Anti Terrorism Assistance Office which has prompted the governments concerned to take steps to improve existing standards.
Following two such audits in the Port of Mombassa, Kenya's government has announced it is upgrading anti-terrorist security at the port and the Kenya Maritime Authority admitted there were shortcomings that made it a "soft target" for terrorists. Nairobi's daily, the East African has also reported that studies revealed container congestion has caused poor verification and tagging. Furthermore, excessive free movement of unauthorised people and a lack of efficient security camera surveillance have heightened the risk. In addition the prevalence of piracy activity in Somali waters has exacerbated the dangers.
Following the findings in Mombassa, closed circuit television systems are now being installed and port authorities are now utilising National Security Intelligence Service personnel together with CID police. It is also believed that a team of experts from Israel and the US Homeland Security Office is providing security training at the port.
A statement by Kenya Ports Authority chief Abdalla Mwaruwa that security systems would soon meet the standards of the ISPS Code is certainly revealing, since it is tantamount to an admission that standards were never met at the time of ISPS implementation. Furthermore, there are fears that the situation in Mombassa is the tip of the iceberg with respect to security standards in African ports.
Audits by the US were also conducted in Djibouti, Dar es Salaam and Beira in Mozambique, but it was concluded Mombassa to be the most vulnerable. Indeed, the scrutiny of Mombassa comes as no surprise in view of the worrying surge in piracy activities offshore Somalia while the situation onshore is causing concern in Washington with fears that the lawless region is host to cells of Al Qaida.
In parallel with the East African situation, Fairplay reported last week that a committee set up by the Ministry of Shipping to review security preparedness of major ports and shipyards, has submitted its report to the Indian Shipping Minister.
The report said the committee made a number of recommendations to strengthen maritime infrastructure and improve security, but it also cautioned that additional measures should not impede operational efficiency or throughput. The committee emphasised the need to standardise systems and processes to meet world standards for operations and security.
Fairplay goes on to comment that disaster management and recovery plans for all Indian ports will be implemented and rehearsed regularly. Another recommendation of the committee is that additional security costs be borne by the central government and should not passed on to the trade. The committee has strongly favoured standardisation of port security procedures and systems.
Since ISPS was implemented on July 1, 2004, there has been a significant degree of polarisation of standards of port security that is certainly a function of overall regional standards of maritime compliance.
Certainly the US, EU, Far East and Australasian regions have demonstrated a firm grip on the principles of effective port security - indeed, some might argue that some of the 'developed' regions have 'gone over the top' regarding implementation. However, the remaining regions, including the Middle East, have demonstrated diverse standards of implementation - some excellent, some average and some poor. Until these disparities are resolved, the effectiveness of ISPS for ports remains undermined in many regions.
The writer is a Dubai-based marine consultant specialising in safety management, security and training.
By Frank Kennedy
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
