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As part of the new ship and port
maritime security initiatives agreed
to by 108 member countries of
International Maritime Organisation
- that was also attended by Malaysia
- governments are required to make
contingency plans for the military
takeover of ports facing definite
terrorist threat.
In December last year member
countries that attended the IMO
diplomatic conference adopted the
new mandatory International Code for
the Security of Ships and of Port
Facilities as part of the amendments
to the Safety of Life At Sea
Convention.
The Code takes the approach that
ensuring the security of port
facilities is a risk management
activity and that, to determine what
security measures are appropriate,
an assessment of the risks must be
made in each particular case.
The Code is designed to provide a
standardized, consistent framework
for evaluating risk, enabling
Governments to determine the
appropriate response to the level of
threat and vulnerability which
exists.
Security plans and security officers
for port facilities are also to be
covered by the Code.
Responding to the new requirements,
recently the UK government announced
that it will soon be able to order
the armed state takeover of ports
faced with terrorist threats.
At the highest level of alert,
control will be exercised through
armed police, the intelligence
services, or even the use of troops.
All ports in the country are
expected to undergo security
assessments and port workers are
expected to face vetting as required
under the new IMO rules that are
expected to come into effect from
July 2004.
It will then be up to the government
to determine which ports need to go
further and appoint a security
officer, charged with drawing up a
formal security plan.
There will be three levels of
security. Level one will be normal,
mandatory on all ports at all times.
There will be more fences, more
control systems, more identity
checks.
Level two will operate when there is
suspicion an attack may occur, but
no specific intelligence, and level
three where there is definite
evidence of an impending attack.
At level three, the government state
will take over. |
