Airport security is still the major issue

IT IS at the airports that the greatest problems continue to be experienced, with the complications following September 11 simply making matters worse, says Amusa chairman Dave Keeling. "The market as a whole has tightened in the past few months, though premium increases in our sphere have not been as severe as those in the non-marine sector. There has been a global increase in reinsurance costs and this has increased insurance premiums down the line. The increases seen in our sector are relatively insignificant compared to those being experienced in non-marine areas. "The local market began targeting airport security as far back at 1994, when security companies came onto the scene. It is common practice to insist that high value goods be secured by the appointment of independent security contractors as some goods are basically uninsurable without the additional security these appointments bring," he said. "We have been trying to talk to Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) for some time, and although we have been promised a meeting we are still waiting for a date to be set. "Strangely enough, at a conference in Genoa last year, Harald Zielenski, who headed Lufthansa's valuable cargo services division, praised Acsa in the paper he delivered, stating they had responded promptly to his questions about security in this country, while he found delays in dealings with some European airport companies. "Right now, however, I think Acsa have their hands full dealing with their problems at Johannesburg International, but we are there to help in ensuring that risk management and its requirements are correctly carried out."