St Kitts and Nevis ISPS compliant
Friday, July 2, 2004
BASSETERRE, St Kitts: St. Kitts and Nevis
Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas has congratulated the St. Christopher Air and
Sea Ports Authority and the Nevis Air and Sea Ports Authority for receiving
their International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) compliance
certificates.
“It is a pledge that my Government made to
the people of St. Kitts and Nevis and to the various stakeholders, to ensure
that our ports are in a state of readiness to combat acts of terrorism,” said
Prime Minister Douglas when his office received copies of the compliance
certificates.
Dr. Douglas, who as Minister of Finance, has
responsibility for the air and sea ports, expressed congratulations to the
Chairman, Board of Directors, General Manager, the entire management team and
employees of the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority for their
dedication and handwork to ensure the port facilities met the requirements for
certification.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force Coast
Guard which is the Designated Authority, also issued Certificates of
Compliance to Shell Antilles and Guianas Ltd and Texaco Chevron.
The Defence Force Coast Guard has also
certified the Ferry Terminal and Pier, Port Zante Terminal and Pier and the
Deep Water Port at Bird Rock.
The measures, drawn up by the UN watchdog
International Maritime Organisation (IMO), require ports and ships to draw up
stringent plans to prevent attacks by extremists.
Only 86 percent of ships and 69 percent of
port installations in IMO member states have so far met the new conditions.
The International Ship and Port Facility
Security (ISPS) code requires ports and ships to draw up plans to prevent a
maritime version of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington in
2001 in which extremists turned hijacked planes into guided missiles.
Ships and ports are to be inspected and, if
their security plans meet the IMO standards, they will be issued certificates
by the relevant authorities. The ISPS code is
one of the most major demands ever placed upon the port and shipping industry
in such a short timescale.
Under the code, adopted in 2002, authorities
also require ships to submit detailed information on the vessel, cargo and
crew, including their nationalities, 24 hours before their arrival in an area.
The IMO is the UN agency concerned with
maritime security and the prevention of marine pollution from ships.
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