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| Home Front: WoT |
| Ports ârushâ to adopt terror security standards |
| 2004-06-23 |
| EFL ... But just weeks before that deadline, fewer than 20 percent of the worldâs ships and 10 percent of global ports had certified that they have made the changes called for by the new rules, according to the International Maritime Organization, which is overseeing the regulations. The agency says there are no provisions to grant extensions for countries or shipping companies that need more time. The penalty for those that donât comply could be harsh: ranging from a ban on specific ships entering U.S. ports to an all-out trade embargo for a country whose ports donât meet security standards. âThat is a real danger,â said Hartmut Hesse, head of the IMOâs maritime security section in London. âWe keep telling our member governments that this could have a huge economic impact," he said. "It may prevent ships docking in a port or even expulsion of ships from a relevant port. And the end result is no trade.â [On Monday, IMO Secretary General Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos said 16.2 percent of ports and about a third of all ships covered by the code were in compliance. Of the 148 countries covered by the code, the IMO has surveyed 50 and gotten only 39 replies. "I am, therefore, concerned that, unless prompt action is taken urgently by all parties concerned, we may live to regret any delay in acting,â he said in a press release. Mitropoulos also said the IMO is undertaking a review of critical shipping lanes that are vulnerable to terrorist attack to try to beef up security in those areas.] Ports and shipping companies have been tightening security for years, but that effort took a major step when Congress enacted the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 â a series of measures designed to thwart attacks by vessels entering U.S. ports. A similar set of rules was adopted by the IMO, the United Nations organization that oversees safety and environmental regulations for the worldâs commercial shipping fleet. Despite 18 months of preparation, the worldâs ports have been slow to adopt the new rules and upgrade facilities. Coast Guard officials say nearly all U.S. ships and ports have already filed their security plans and expect most of them to be approved. IMO officials say many countries are simply waiting until the last minute to file the appropriate paperwork. But a series of interviews with security experts, industry, Coast Guard and port officials, and testimony at recent congressional hearings point to a number of hurdles in the effort to protect the worldâs maritime industry from terrorism. Iâm betting that Yemen is not in compliance. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |