COAST GUARD POLICY CHIEF SAYS U.S. WELCOMES IMO SECURITY MEASURES

COAST GUARD POLICY CHIEF SAYS U.S. WELCOMES IMO SECURITY MEASURES    Capt. Tony Regalbuto, the U.S. Coast Guard’s chief of policy and planning for the port security directorate, said the United States is “very pleased and satisfied” with the International Maritime Organization’s new security measures intended to thwart terrorist acts against shipping.
   “We needed an international solution to really address the threat of global terrorism,” Regalbuto said in remarks released by the U.S. State Department.
   “It’s too late in many circumstances to respond to a terrorist act when a ship arrives in (U.S.) territorial waters,” Regalbuto noted, “so security has to start at the point of origin for the vessel and its cargo.”
   In measures the State Department called “far-reaching,” the IMO’s International Ship and Port Facility Security Code provide a standardized framework for evaluating the risk of terrorist acts.
   Governments are obligated to conduct a security assessment along criteria developed by the IMO of all ports in the countries involved in international trade. Ships of more than 500 gross tons must develop related security plans in order to receive a certificate of security from their owners’ governments.