Coast Guard will not review security plans for non-U.S. ships

Coast Guard will not review security plans for non-U.S. ships    The U.S. Coast Guard has assured the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) that it will not be reviewing or approving ship security plans for non-U.S. vessels.
   U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Thomas Gilmour told BIMCO’s secretary general, Truls L’orange, in London that owners and operators of foreign vessels subject to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) are not required to submit ship securtity plans to the Coast Guard for approval.
   Joseph Angelo, the Coast Guard’s director of standards, told BIMCO delegates that there will be intense attention paid to ships arriving in U.S. ports in regard to compliance with the SOLAS security requirements and adherence to the ISPS Code.
   After July 1, 2004, non-complying vessels will not be allowed to enter U.S. ports, Angelo said.