International Ship and Port Facility Security Code

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ISPS marking in the Duisburg-Ruhrorter ports

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code ( ISPS code ) consists of a comprehensive package of measures to increase the security of ships and port facilities where ships are handled on international voyages. The ISPS code was changed in the face of the threat of willful intentional illegal activity, such as B. Terrorist acts and piracy created and also serves the security in the supply chain .

history

The trigger for the creation of the regulations were the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in New York as well as attacks on ships such as the naval ship USS Cole in 2000 and the oil tanker Limburg in October 2002. The ISPS code was signed on December 12, 2002 under the Leadership of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed and implemented as a supplement to the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS Convention ). In the European Union , the ISPS code was implemented by a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on March 31, 2004. The regulations, which should only apply to international ships, have also been extended to shipping within the European Union and its member states.

Essential content

The ISPS code consists of two parts: an obligatory part A with mandatory measures, especially for shipping companies and port operators, and a recommended part B, which mainly contains options for compliance and implementation aids. Essentially, the agreement assumes that ensuring the safety of ships and port facilities is a risk management task and that a risk assessment must first be carried out in each individual case to determine the appropriate security measures . This is intended to enable governments to compensate for changes in threats with regard to the vulnerability of ships and port facilities through appropriate security measures. This includes a specific security plan . This affects ships in international voyages ( passenger ships including high-speed ferries , cargo ships (> 500  GT ) and mobile offshore drilling rigs ).

Specifically, since then, these ships calling at a port have had to explicitly state the cargo they have on board. The authorities of the port of call have extensive control rights.

It was also determined that the port facilities - which were previously freely accessible to practically everyone - should be sealed off. Access is now only possible for certain groups of people; they have to identify themselves regularly and are then given an identification card for the duration of their stay in the port facilities. Further measures in port facilities concern the cargo traffic to the facility and the delivery of ship's stores.

criticism

Cordoning off a port area in accordance with the ISPS code

The control of access to the port facilities required by the ISPS code can usually only be achieved through fence systems , so that outside defined access points, entering the facility is no longer possible or difficult. Some citizens, for whom an unrestricted view and unimpeded access was a matter of course, perceive this fencing as a restriction on the quality of life. With regard to tourism, this can lead to a loss of attractiveness and a reduction in the experience of port cities. This contrasts with the high level of interest in guaranteeing safety.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ FAQ on ISPS Code and maritime security .
  2. ↑ Small question for a written answer (PDF; 58.6 kB) Answer of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport of September 27, 2016 to a small question . Retrieved March 10, 2019.

Web links