IMO expresses “regret” as ships, ports fail to meet ISPS deadline

IMO expresses “regret” as ships, ports fail to meet ISPS deadline

IMO expresses “regret” as ships, ports fail to meet ISPS deadline

   Despite a jump over the past week in the number of ships and ports that have been certified as compliant International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code, the International Maritime Organization said today it is “a matter of regret” that many have still not completed the approval process under the code, which becomes effective Thursday.
   The IMO’s latest survey on compliance with the security code indicates that slightly more than 50 percent of ships and ports have implemented the ISPS rules and received the related security certificates.
   A June 30 survey of 46 IMO member governments shows 11,996 of 22,539 ships liable to implement the code have received their international ship security certificates, representing a proportion of 53.2 percent. This proportion compares with percentages of 41.3 percent on June 25 and 33 percent on June 21.
   Security compliance among ports, which has lagged behind ships, has also increased. The IMO’s June 30 survey of 86 governments showed that 4,260 of 7,974 port facilities under the responsibility of those governments have complied with the code — representing a percentage of 53.4 percent. On June 25, the percentage was only 31.9 percent.
   “The latest figures issued by IMO, on the eve of the entry-into-force date, suggest the majority of ships and ports worldwide will have achieved full compliance and that many more are well on the way towards doing so,” the IMO said in a statement today.
   “It is clear that all parties concerned, governments and the industry alike, are doing their utmost to be ready for the entry-into-force date,” said Efthimios Mitropoulos, secretary-general of the IMO. Mitropoulos added that the final goal remains 100 percent compliance.
   “The challenge now is to ensure that, once the entry-into-force date has passed, we do not drop our guard and relax,” he added.