|
By Mike
Jarrett
Perhaps the most talked about date in
recent maritime history, July 1, 2004, came and passed uneventfully. The
International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s International Ship and Port
Facility Security (ISPS) Code is now a reality.
Most Caribbean ports have been
appropriately certified and the dislocation, loss of cargo revenue and the
gridlock of ships waiting to enter United States ports just did not happen.
In this regard, the Caribbean Shipping Association can justifiably take much
credit.
Over the past two years, the CSA has worked
assiduously to get Caribbean ports ready for July 1. The Association’s
relentless efforts and timely initiatives in sensitizing Regional
governments and stakeholders; informing and educating personnel at all
levels across the Caribbean; and, facilitating the process of accreditation
paid off handsomely.
A well-attended international training
seminar; technical presentations; panel discussions; appeals and statements
at CSA conferences and CSA Group meetings; news releases; and, articles on
the CSA website collectively bore fruit. In fact, only one Caribbean
country, ended up on a list of 17 countries around the world which the US
Coast Guard felt had “…inadequate port security measures.”
In the opinion of Joe DiRenzo III and Chris
Doane (Maritime Reporter and
Engineering News - September 2004):
“The experience of Y2K provides in many ways an ideal analogy for the rapid
build up to the July 1st implementation (of the ISPS code). Intended to be
the solid underpinnings for safe and secure maritime trade, many saw
implementation of these laws as a recipe for disaster that would chop
international trade at the knees. All around the globe, members of industry
and media, especially some international trade publications and trade
groups, proclaimed that the implementation of these new measures would
create a massive interruption to maritime commerce that would bring the
international Maritime Transportation System (MTS) to a standstill wreaking
economic havoc to industry and national economies alike. Some painted
pictures of large numbers of merchant vessels, their holds filled with every
possible commodity or natural resource held up from entering ports due to
bureaucratic red tape.… However, on July 1st, the new security measures were
enforced and maritime commerce continued to flow smoothly with barely a
hiccup.”
DID NOT HAPPEN
Indeed, with ports of the United States receiving more than 250 ships daily,
the business of screening every ship and doing all the security checks could
have overwhelmed the Coast Guard’s resources. However, as DiRenzo and Doane
noted: “This did not occur, thanks to the proactive efforts by many vessels
engaged in foreign trade to obtain their International Ship Security
Certificate (ISSC) from their country of registry, certifying compliance
with ISPS, well in advance of the July 1 deadline.”
This simple initiative allowed the US Coast
Guard to conduct pre-deadline ISPS examinations which identified the ISPS
compliant vessels. These vessels were subsequently allowed to enter port
after July 1 without a time-consuming security check. This reportedly
reduced the Coast Guard’s first day work load by nearly 25 per cent.
According to CG Headquarters, up to July
13, “… only 21 foreign vessels out of 3,420 had been denied entry of
expelled from port because of non-compliance with ISPS, with a mere 45
vessels detained or restricted in port.”
In short, the implementation of the ISPS
Code worldwide did not create the problems many had feared. Indeed, the
process was largely uneventful and most ports of the world are now better
prepared to deal with and certainly more sensitive to threats from
terrorists. However, there is much more to be done by all stakeholders to
improve and consolidate the security measures implemented in order to meet
the July 1 2004 deadline.
Vessel and port facility security plans
must be refined and improved as we continue to learn and determine what is
necessary for effective port security. Governments, port authorities and
terminal and wharf operators, having been sensitized to the chinks, faults
and defects in their port security systems and having started the process of
plugging, correcting and mending, now need to continue the process.
By incrementally improving on the standards
which were achieved on July 1, 2004, Caribbean ports can now maintain a high
level of security into the future without ever again having to bear the
weight of expenses initially incurred in getting the IMO certification.
October 8,
2004
________________
* Mike Jarrett is Director
of Information and Public Relations for the Caribbean Shipping
Association. |
