Aiming to down on world terrorism Terry Hutson THE PORT of Durban has become only the second port outside the world’s top twenty trading ports to sign the International Ships & Port Facility Code (ISPS), which has been introduced by the International Maritime Organisation and is set to become mandatory for all ships above 500 gross tonnes at all commercial ports throughout the world from July next year. In simple terms, the ISPS aims at cutting down on world terrorism and quick action by the NPA in signing the code puts South Africa’s ports in the forefront of responsible port management. “Simply put, we had no choice but to do so, failing which we may have found that ships visiting South Africa would be turned away at other ports because they were a perceived security risk,” says Quintas van der Merwe, a partner in the International Transport & Trade section of Durban attorneys Shepstone & Wylie. As Van der Merwe points out, given that the bulk of South Africa’s trade is by sea, SA cannot afford to buck the international community approach. And had the country not signed Phase 2 of the Container Security Initiative on 12 June this year, which permits the presence of US Customs & Border Protection personnel to work in Durban among their local counterparts, then exports from this country to the US could have been barred entry. But the ISPS Code has other more practical implications for all ports, including the fencing of entire perimeters and securing entry points with access denied to anyone without a legitimate reason to be in the port. The port of Richards Bay is becoming one of the first to be completely fenced with concrete palisade and the installation of CCTV cameras at strategic points along the fence. Ships agents and operators will be pleased with these measures, particularly if it cuts down on theft and issues like stowaways joining the ships while in port. For the general public however the measures will appear draconian, with visits to ‘the docks to see the ships becoming just a memory. As Captain Dick Young of Unicorn Shipping pointed out at a recent Master Mariner’s seminar on the ISPS Code held in Durban, the new security measures mean that youngsters will no longer grow up being able to visit the harbour to see ships at work, from which so many derived an interest in a career at sea. Such is the cost of progress.
