IMO reports late improvement in compliance with ISPS code

IMO reports late improvement in compliance with ISPS code    Despite concerns that the international shipping and ports sectors will fail to meet the July 1 deadline for implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code in many countries, the International Maritime Organization said Friday there has been some improvement in compliance in the last few weeks.
   “The situation is improving as can be seen from the figures we release today,” Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, IMO secretary-general said Friday. “However, there is still work to be done and, therefore, I again urge all parties concerned to redouble their efforts to implement the new security measures as soon as possible.”
   Based on a survey of 38 governments who are members of the IMO, the London-based maritime safety organization said 22.7 percent of the 21,347 ships for which these countries are responsible have received international ship security certificates. On May 17, the percentage was only 9.2 percent. The 38 governments surveyed represent about 83 percent of worldwide shipping tonnage. The IMO could not disclose whether the United States administration was one of the 38 governments surveyed.
   From the same survey of 38 governments, the percentage of port facilities in these countries that have obtained approved port facility security plans has increased to 10.7 percent, from 5.4 percent in the May survey.
   Two industry associations — the International Association of Classification Societies and the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners — also reported a doubling of their members’ compliance rate with the ISPS code. The International Association of Classification Societies said 41.9 percent of its members’ vessels have received security certificates, while the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners reported that 56 percent of its members’ ships have such security certificates.
   Natasha Brown, spokesman for the IMO, said the final level of compliance would not be known until July 1. “We can’t guarantee that there will be 100 percent compliance,” she said.
   Brown said there could be an impact if ships are not compliant with the ISPS code on July 1, and that governments will have the right to exercise measures in their role as state port control for ships coming to their countries.
   The U.S. Coast Guard has warned repeatedly that vessels that make port calls at countries that are not participants or are not in compliance with the ISPS requirements could be delayed when attempting to enter a U.S. port.