International Port Security

Captains,

I just returned from participating as a delegate in a port security visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was able to observe USCG International Port Security (IPS) Officers on the job as they familiarized themselves with various port facilities and government procedures. I also met with senior officials from the Brazilian Navy, the Rio de Janeiro IPS authority CESPORTOS, and the Brazilian National IPS authority CONPORTOS. Facility visits included: the Rio cruise terminal, the Libra container terminal, the ThyssenKrupp steel plant terminal, and the Petrobras terminals in Guanabara Bay. LCDR Schneider provides a good overall program description below.

RADM W

ISPS Global Implementation – Observations of the USCG IPS Program

The Marine Transportation Security Act requires the DHS Secretary to “assess the effectiveness of the antiterrorism measures maintained at a foreign port served by vessels documented by the U.S. or from which foreign vessels depart on a voyage to the U.S.” The USCG interpreted this requirement appropriately by recognizing that we lack the sovereign authority to conduct such “assessments” in foreign ports.

To accomplish this, a Coast Guard officer is assigned as an International Port Security Liaison Officer (IPSLO) to each U.S. maritime trading partner. IPSLOs are in place to establish international relations and help develop an understanding of ISPS implementation in ports around the world. Another portion of the IPS program includes country visits by a USCG delegation. These visits are more formal and involve trips to port facilities within the host country and observation of implemented security practices. The United States does not claim to have all the answers to port security problems. We believe that by discussing security among trading partners and sharing best practice improvements to maritime port security can be better identified and globally shared.

As a result of the USCG IPS Program, Coast Guard personnel have visited over 120 countries to observe first hand and openly discuss maritime security practices related to the ISPS Code. We have found that most countries visited have substantially implemented the ISPS Code. There is a good understanding of the requirements of the Code and in most ports steps have been taken to upgrade physical security.

Another observation of the IPS Program has been unanticipated gains from realized security practices. Anti-terrorism may have been the intended focus of the ISPS Code, but collateral benefits of implementation have been numerous. For example improvements in perimeter security have discouraged stowaways and slowed illegal migrant activities. Port operators concerned about costs of implementing the Code have been pleased to note that the added security reduces cargo theft and other illegal activities within the port. Better cargo monitoring and accountability has also led to increased customs revenue. Maritime nations as well as port and vessel operators are finding measurable economic and business-smart benefits in the implementation of basic security measures. This economic benefit encourages reinvestment in port security infrastructure and may assist with concerns about new security system sustainability.

LCDR Tanya Schneider, United States Coast Guard

Port Security Liaison Officer, USCG Activities Europe

Rotterdam, Netherlands