IMOs work on security continues

IMO’s $2.5 million Global Programme on Maritime and Port Security, which began in January 2002, will not stop on 1 July 2004, the international deadline for implementation of the maritime security measures adopted by IMO in December 2002, the Organization’s Technical Co-operation Committee was told when it opened its 54th session on 15 June.

Total expenditure on the Programme to date is $2,525,304. Worldwide activities have included 18 regional and 42 national seminars/workshops. Some 3,320 people have been trained across the ports of the developing regions and they are now putting into place the practical security mechanisms necessary to thwart the terrorist attacks to ships and ports in their countries.

The steady stream of requests to the IMO for technical assistance in the field of maritime and port security shows no sign of slowing and demand from Member States for practical assistance in the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) and other security measures adopted by IMO is expected to continue.

To support this, a new Train-the-Trainer programme has been developed which will assist Governments to strengthen their maritime security implementation through the provision of trained instructors capable of delivering quality training at regional and national levels using relevant IMO Model Courses.

The Train-the-Trainer programme will start in the second half of the 2004, initially in the Asia and Pacific region. The target audience will be instructors from national maritime training institutions responsible for the conduct of maritime security training courses.

The results of the Global Programme to date reveal the scope of work which each country and region has had to address if they are to comply with the ISPS Code. While the initial work in the Programme focused on raising awareness of maritime security threats, this has now been adapted to place more emphasis on specific operational measures which need to be taken to safeguard the security of passengers and crews.

The Programme’s success and continuation depends, inevitably, on funding to be made available to support those further training activities. An International Maritime Security Trust Fund (IMSTF) has been established, on the basis of voluntary donations, and the IMO Secretary-General has appealed to Governments and industry to make contributions to the Fund which will support the Programme over the coming biennium.