| IMO Press Briefing 04 2004
20 January 2004
Redouble efforts to protect shipping
against terrorism, IMO urges
Governments and the shipping industry should
redouble their efforts to ensure compliance with the new maritime
security measures, which will enter into force on 1 July 2004,
the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has said in a Maritime
Safety Committee (MSC) Circular.
MSC/Circ.1104, issued 15 January 2004 following
consultations between the Secretary-General and the Chairman of
the Maritime Safety Committee, invites SOLAS Contracting Governments,
port authorities, classification societies, recognized security
organizations, training institutions and all other parties concerned
to redouble their efforts to protect shipping against terrorism
by taking action as soon as possible to ensure compliance with
the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety
of Life at Sea (SOLAS) chapter XI-2 and the International Ship
and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) at as early a stage
as possible.
The new requirements are due to enter into force
on 1 July 2004.
The circular invites Administrations to advise
companies and ships operating under their countries' flag to take
appropriate steps to increase awareness of the potential dangers
so that their crews are extremely vigilant and alert to any security
threat they may encounter or be suspicious of, whether they are
in port, at offshore terminals or underway.
The importance and significance of IMO's work
on maritime security has been recognized by the IMO Council and
the Assembly in agreeing that the Organization's theme for the
current year should be: "IMO 2004: Focus on maritime security".
However, recent surveys carried out on the status
of implementation of the security measures introduced by the aforementioned
SOLAS amendments and the ISPS Code raise concerns that not enough
progress has been achieved so far. This has been reported by Governments
and other interested parties (including industry organizations
such as ICS, IAPH, BIMCO, IACS, INTERTANKO and INTERCARGO).
Given that the purpose of the new measures is
to protect shipping against terrorist attacks, the information
received gives rise to grave concern also from the point of view
of the serious repercussions to ships, shipping companies, port
facilities and international shipborne trade if the situation
does not improve by July and parties concerned are found not in
compliance with the measures.
It is also worrying from the point of view of
the very substance of implementation of the measures if, as a
result of last minute bottlenecks, plans are approved and certificates
are issued hastily without proper verification.
.......................
IMO - the International Maritime Organization
- is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility
for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of
marine pollution by ships.
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