Report on the Maritime Safety and Port Security ... - PMAESA

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made on promotion of maritime safety, security and combating piracy in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region. He pointed out that it was high time the port community was involved in the issue of dealing with piracy as they were victims of the problem. 5. Ms Mapolao Mokoena a representative of SADC Secretariat, in her opening statement emphasized the need for all member states to take collective responsibility in handling the safety and security issues in the Region, noting that this approach was supported by the SADC Transport Protocol which calls for Member States to apply international standards and recommended IMO practices. B. Workshop Proceedings 6. A number of presentations were made on maritime safety, port security and piracy. The presentations ranged from Overview on Piracy and Surveillance in the ESA region, Country positions on ISPS Code Implementation Status, Role of US Coast Guards and US Navy Forces in Maritime Safety and Port Security in the region. Overview on Piracy and Surveillance in the Region 7. Col. Victor Gamor representing United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) presented a paper on the overview on piracy and surveillance in the region, the presentation highlighted the challenges posed by piracy off the Somalia coast. Major among them being the absence of an effective central authority in the country which has provided an environment conducive to support piracy both on land and offshore. The paper enumerated the international response to piracy which included Task Force 101, NATO Task Force and a number of individual country initiatives. He noted that though the military operations at sea are achieving positive results, the legal issues remained a big challenge in this area. The question on how long the operations were going to be sustained remained unanswered. 8. Col. Gamor further gave an overview of the coordination mechanisms and intercluster linkages in place. He gave details of the Contact Group on Piracy of the coast of Somalia (CGPCS) that was created in New York in January 2009. This is further complemented by Nairobi Nexus and Inter-cluster linkages, Joint Security Committee and the on-going Security Sector Assessment (SSA) mission. 9. In conclusion he emphasized the need for a holistic approach in fighting piracy which is multidimensional in nature while noting that the root causes and contributing factors of piracy lie on both land and offshore. Finally, he underscored a need for financial and material support to stabilize the security environment and support the Transitional Federal Government to exercise effective control throughout Somalia. 2
10. During discussions on the subject it was noted that while UNPOS had done a lot of work in the area of coordinating, it is yet to fully bring all the bodies together. It was further noted that stopping the pirates from going to sea is a solution, but it has not been possible to stop them. UNPOS is currently examining how other intelligences agencies can assist in this direction. 11. It was agreed that the people who negotiated and received ransom on behalf of pirates be identified and punished. It was suggested that since pirates use sophisticated communication equipment to negotiate for the ransom, this can be used to trace them. The communication companies should therefore be engaged to assist in this effort. 12. Sharing of information was identified as important in handling the matter. Shippers were urged to be abreast with the matter by getting information from among others, the internet. 13. It was agreed that relevant protocols and operational procedures be put in place to allow armed security personnel on board ships to provide security. Country position on ISPS Code Implementation Status Mozambique - INAMAR 14. Mr. Domingos Gomes, Coordinator of ISPS Code, at the Instituto Nacional de Marinha (INAMAR) summarized the implementation of some of IMO Conventions by Mozambique that deal with Maritime Security based on SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the International Ship and Facility Security (ISPS) Code. 15. He indicated that Mozambique adopted SOLAS Convention in 2004 and in the same year established the INAMAR with the mandate to coordinate and implement and supervise the ISPS Code. The government then appointed consultants to prepare port facility security assessments and plans. IMO Maritime Security consultants carried out audits in Mozambican ports in 2007. 16. He also indicated that INAMAR is looking into developing a National Oversight Programme as recommended in MSC.1/Circular 1194 on effective implementation of SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code through the yet to be established National Maritime Security Committee which is expected to bring all the Government agencies on security and control in 17. The challenges of implementing the ISPS Code in Mozambique, included, (i) an urgent need to provide security training material at all levels and training of INAMAR staff, Port Facility Security Officers and those undertaking security duties within port facilities. (ii) Sensitization of senior government officials on the requirements of SOLAS 3
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Report on the Maritime Safety and Port Security ... - PMAESA

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