ICC calls for swift processing of ISPS Code applications

ICC calls for swift processing of ISPS Code applications    The International Chamber of Commerce has called on governments globally “to urgently process applications for International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code compliance before the July 1 deadline.” Failure to do so “could seriously disrupt, or at worse, bring to a halt the flow of international commerce,” the ICC said in a statement.
   “The regulations must be ratified and brought into force by 109 countries worldwide by the deadline. Countries that fail to observe the regulations will be blacklisted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This would effectively exclude them from world trade, since bona-fide shipping operators will avoid them,” the ICC said.
   The ICC cited a survey report by the IMO showing that only 9 percent of 20,722 ships have had their security measures certified, while 57 percent have submitted plans for approval. In the case of ports, only 5.4 percent of 5,578 ports surveyed have had their security measures approved.
   The ICC also warned that failure to meet the July 1 deadline could “result in distortions in competition between ports, operators and countries.”