>Press Releases Home > Publications and press releases > Press Releases HK in high gear for new maritime security requirements Port Facility Security Plans (PFSP) of 22 of the 31 port facilities under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, had been endorsed, the Deputy Director of Marine Mr Roger Tupper said today (May 19), adding that the remaining facilities had submitted or were close to submitting their PFSP which were being considered. Mr Tupper said that so far 548 Hong Kong registered ships had their security plans approved, while 262 of those ships had already obtained International Ship Security Certificates. He was speaking at the Maritime and Logistics Security Workshop of the 'Logistics Hong Kong' conference being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Mr Tupper said since being appointed as the Designated Authority (DA) early this year, the Marine Department had been working closely with other relevant government departments and the port and shipping communities to implement the ISPS Code in Hong Kong and had conducted numerous consultation rounds with a view to briefing all stakeholders in the shipping and port industries on the new security requirements and how the Code would be implemented in Hong Kong. "To oversee ISPS compliance the Port Area Security Advisory Committee (PASAC) was established. Chaired by the Deputy Director of Marine, its membership consists of representatives from the port and shipping communities and relevant government security agencies." "The PASAC is a consultative body to discuss how the ISPS Code is to be implemented in HKSAR, the related issues to be encountered after the Code is enacted on 1 July 2004 and overall port security beyond the Code." "A Port Facility Security Working Group (PFSWG), comprising the Hong Kong Police, Customs and Excise Department and Immigration Department and chaired by Marine Department was established to work with port facility operators to draw up their security assessments and to scrutinise and recommend approval of the subsequent security plan to the Designated Authority." Mr Tupper said in Hong Kong there were 31 port facilities under the Code. These facilities included the container terminals, oil depots, power stations, cruise and ferry terminals and the Buoys and Anchorages which constitute a single port facility. He said: "A port area security plan incorporating the content of all the individual port facility plans falls within the overall government strategy to deal with terrorism that might affect Hong Kong. At present 22 port facilities have their security plans approved, five are under consideration and the remainder are putting their final touches to the plans." "We are now in contact with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to arrange for uploading our security status to the IMO website well in advance of the 1 July deadline. This list will be updated when the remaining PFSPs are endorsed." For the implementation of the Code on Hong Kong registered ships, Mr Tupper said the Marine Department provisionally authorised 8 classification societies as Recognised Security Organisations (RSO) to review and approve ship security plans, as well as to conduct verifications for the issue of International Ship Security Certificates (ISSC). He said the first Ship Security Plan approval and verification work conducted by these 8 classification societies on a Hong Kong registered ship was then witnessed by Marine Department surveyors before formal authorisation was granted. Furthermore, Mr Tupper said all the delegated functions performed by these classification societies were closely monitored by the Marine Department. "All the concerned officers engaged in this monitoring function have received appropriate training and hold ISPS auditor certificates. Marine Department surveyors are also available to conduct on-board ISSC audits at the request of shipowners." "As a capacity building, the Marine Department officers who are engaged or will be engaged in the implementation of the ISPS Code have attended an ISPS Administrator course provided by a reputable maritime security consulting firm. Also, three Port Facility Security Officers courses followed by a hands-on workshop were organised for the port facility officers and other personnel engaged in security activities." Mr Tupper pointed out that the Marine Department had developed a database system for maintaining the continuous synopsis records of Hong Kong registered ships required under the Code and these were being provided to shipowners on request. He said a new Bill, titled "the Merchant Shipping (Security of Ships and Port Facilities) Bill", for the purpose of giving effect to this international obligation was submitted to the Legislative Council on 24 March, 2004. Mr Tupper added that the department had selected a secure location to handle all ISPS communications from incoming ships and Hong Kong ships on the high seas, adding that the centre would operate round-the-clock and had secure links to the internal security services. He said the Marine Department would issue its Maritime Security Level on June 1 through an upload to its website and provide instant update thereafter on advice of our security intelligence services. As of July 1, Mr Tupper said Hong Kong would fully discharge its port state requirements on ISPS in accordance with guidelines issued by the IMO and adopted by the Tokyo Memorandum Of Understanding on Port State Control. He said: "July 1 marks the introduction of a new era of security on ships and in port. No doubt there will be teething problems as the requirements of the ISPS Code become bedded into the existing operating systems of the shipping industry. I believe we all will benefit from greater exchanges of experience in maritime security matters. We should work towards building improved communications channels to support the new international maritime security framework under ISPS." Ends/Wednesday, May 19, 2004
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