Shipping - Port security

In recent years, the world has been confronted with more acts of terror than ever before. Attacks on Western targets have increased people’s awareness of how real the threat is and that the danger can get very close. As a result, counter-terrorism measures have become more stringent throughout the world. In the maritime sector too. Security regulations and directives for ships and terminals have been formulated. These are set out in the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, the ISPS Code. Please download the detailed version of ISPS Code right here.

ISPS Code

All terminals which serve seagoing vessels of 500 gross tonnage and upwards on international voyages must comply with the ISPS Code as of July 2004. The ISPS Code has been adopted within the International Maritime Organization, the IMO. The aim of the ISPS Code is to provide better protection against terrorism for ships and port terminals. According to the ISPS Code, every terminal must undergo a Risk Assessment and draw up a Port Facility Security Plan. This plan describes the measures the terminal takes given an increasing threat of terrorism, with a distinction being made between security levels 1,2 and 3.

European Security Directive

The European Union adopts the International IMO legislation in a separate EU Security Directive. The text includes the ISPS Code, so that when we speak here of the ISPS Code we could just as easily say the EU Security Directive.

Training

At least once per calendar year, the Port Facility must organize a joint exercise (with a period of no more than 18 months between the exercises) with Ship Security Officers/Company Security Officer and port authorities to test communication, coordination and availability of emergency resources. The exercises may be live or (computer) simulations; the exercises may be combined with other (disaster) exercises.

Education

The Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO), the security staff and other personnel concerned with security tasks should have sufficient knowledge and training to carry out the tasks related to the ISPS Code and in particular to the Port Facility Security Plan in a proper manner.

In order to achieve this, the Port Security Act states that when the legislation takes effect on 1 July 2004, it will be compulsory for security officers level 2, who work in the port, to have the Port Security specialization module. Security officers will be granted authorization for a period of five years. When their authorization first comes up for renewal after 1 July 2004, they will be expected to have followed the port security specialization module. The obligation to follow a specialized training course does not apply to the PFSO; the PFSO can follow a course, on a voluntary basis, that has been designed in accordance with the IMO guidelines.

Port Facility Security Assessment

Introduction

The Port Facility Security Assessment (PFSA) is an important part of the process aimed at designing and maintaining the Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP). The structure chosen for the questionnaire and for the PFSP in the Port Facility Security Toolkit already has all the characteristic features of the PFSA. As a supplement to this, the Port Facility Security Toolkit has defined nine reference groups for which a so-called ‘Standard Risk Analysis’ has been carried out:
• Container terminals
• Liquid bulk terminals, food
• Liquid bulk terminals, non food
• Dry bulk terminals, food
• Dry bulk terminals, non food
• Ro-Ro terminals and Passenger terminals
• General cargo terminals, food
• General cargo terminals, non food
• Shipyards
It is possible that an individual port facility may belong to more than one reference group.

Each Standard Risk Analysis is based on the following method:
I. Analysis of relevant terrorist-related security incidents(according to ISPS Code section B, 15.11)
II. Identify vulnerable company assets/infrastructure in relation to selected
security incidents (ISPS Code section B, 15.5-15.8)
III. Inventory, selection and prioritization of security measures and procedures aimed at procedures with the objective reducing vulnerability to an acceptable level
IV. Evaluation of weak points in relation to security measures and procedures
The Standard Risk Analyses comprise parts I to III. An individual port facility has a ‘free text block’ at its disposal for company-specific risk information that is insufficiently expressed in the Standard Risk Analyses. In the PFSP, the Standard Risk Analyses applicable to the user, supplemented by company-specific risk information, appears in chapter 2.

The Port Facility Security Toolkit has been structured in such a way that part IV is available for all Port Facilities via the Action Plan. The Standard Risk Analyses and the Action Plan together enable the authorities concerned to consider the information on the basis of their own expertise and propose supplementary measures if necessary.
Structure of the Standard Risk Analysis

I. An overview of terrorism-related security incidents. The shipping and terminal-related security incidents in relation to terrorism as given below can occur and are therefore included in the Standard Risk Analysis.
1. damage or destruction of the ship or the port facility (bomb attacks, sabotage, vandalism)
2. hijacking of/assault on a ship or the people on board
3. tampering with cargo or ship supplies
4. tampering with essential equipment and systems on board the ship
5. unauthorized access to or use of the ship or cargo equipment for transportation of criminals and stowaways and their personal belongings
6. smuggling arms or equipment, including weapons of mass destruction
7. use of the ship itself as a weapon or means of damage or destruction
8. blockades of port entrances, locks, access roads
9. nuclear, biological and chemical attacks
The incidents referred to under points 8. and 9. do not concern individual port facilities, and are therefore not included in the risk analysis. These incidents lie within the area of attention of the relevant port authorities.

II. An overview of vulnerable company assets/infrastructure.
The above security incidents can be prevented or hindered by paying attention to vulnerable company assets/infrastructures defined as follows:
1. entrances, access roads and waterways, maneuvering, anchoring and berthing areas
2. storage places for goods and cargo
3. cargo facilities, loading and unloading facilities
4. radio and telecommunication systems
5. (automated) distribution systems, computer systems
6. security and surveillance equipment and systems
7. bridges, roads, railways
8. power stations, pipelines and water supplies
9. harbour service vessels, including pilot boats, tugs, lighters, etc.
10. shipping traffic management systems
The company assets/infrastructure referred to under points 7., 8., 9. and 10. do not concern individual Port Facilities; the protection of these vulnerable objects and systems is the direct responsibility of the port authorities.

III. An overview of security measures and procedures.
The measures and procedures referred to below are aimed at reducing the above-mentioned vulnerabilities. The numbering is the same as the chapters of the Toolkit in which questions are asked about these aspects.

3. organization and implementation of Port Facility security tasks
4. procedures and equipment for communication and raising the
alarm (particularly ship-port facility interface)
5. measures and procedures concerning access to the port facility
6. designation and control of areas of prohibited/restricted access
7. measures concerning security surveillance of the port facility
8. procedures and measures concerning cargo handling
9. procedures and measures concerning delivery of ship supplies
10. procedures and measures concerning the handling of unaccompanied baggage
11. procedures concerning assessment, review and protection of PFSP

Groningen Seaports

Groningen Seaports is responsible for maintenance and development of the ports of Delfzijl and Eemshaven and the surrounding industrial areas. Strong qualities of the seaports in Groningen are: excellent port facilities, easily accessible waterways, good and fast logistical services, availability of industrial areas (also directly at the waterfront), cheap energy and fast access by rail, road and inland waterways. In cooperation with the other service providers in the harbours Groningen Seaports is continuously working to improve the quality of the ports as a logistical hub for the north of the Netherlands and northern Germany.

To promote the ISPS code for port facilities in the north of the Netherlands, Groningen Seaports has decided to invest in the Port Facilities Security Toolkit (PFST). The PFST is a good and user friendly tool to make up Port Facility Security Plans. The toolkit will be available for all companies with port facilities for which the ISPS-code is relevant.

Contact

For questions about the use of the toolkit you can contact Heino van der Sluis of Groningen Seaports:
Telephone: +31-596-640476
GSM: +31-6-53939752
E-mail: h.vandersluis@groningen-seaports.com

Please visit https://www2.imo.org/ISPSCode/ISPSInformation.aspx to see which companies in the Groninger seaports have already been certified.