Ensuring maritime security

Despite the availability of other forms of transport, the shipping industry still plays a vital role today. We are dependent in many ways on its efficiency.

This year the International Maritime Organisation is focusing on maritime security. In a message marking World Maritime Day, the organistion's general secretary, Efthimios Mitropoulos, says "we must make sure that high levels of vigilance and awareness are maintained and built upon until they become second nature throughout the shipping and port industries".

Their application, he said, "goes beyond the theme of maritime security." IMO has 164 member states and three associate members.

The general secretary is right, for it would be useless having international security measures in place without exercising vigilance. Terrorism against shipping is an experience we do not want to witness ever again. The implications are far too high for the stakeholders to allow room for risks.

Acts of terrorism on seafaring vessels have underlined the vulnerable aspect of the industry and stressed in no uncertain manner the ongoing global commitment that has to be in place to ensure that such acts never take place again.

It is for this reason that the organisation has brought into force the International Ship and Port Facility Safety and Security Code.

Malta too has been taking an active interest in the matter. In fact, in close collaboration with the Malta Martime Authority, the government has worked to draw up, and then incoporate, safety measures in legislation.

With Malta's flag being the fifth largest, it stands to reason that we have a direct interest in martime security. It is for this reason too that we are enacting more stringent maritime laws, drawing up new regulations, and taking an active part in the work of the organisation.

Malta has in fact been re-elected - with a larger number of votes - to IMO's executive council. It is within the work of this council where we have been advancing our own views on martime security.

As the well-being of the shipping industry is an important economic factor for Malta too, the ministry of competitiveness and communications, which is responsible for maritime affairs, has set up a maritime security committee that brings together the main players and stakeholders in the sector.

In this committee we work to ensure port security and aim at meeting our obligations under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, enhancing ship and port security, and drawing up a new set of port security regulations, including a system under which it would be possible to know all shipping movements, both within internal ports and territorial waters. The system would provide all known information on vessel, crew and cargo.

Once the regulations are approved, the designated authority will ensure that each port facility within the ports and territorial limits carry out facility security assessments, and that plans are developed, implemented, maintained and approved. It must also specify the appropriate security level for port facilities within the internal and territorial limits of Malta.

When addressing the opening of the academic year of the International Maritime Law Institute last week, I underlined my satisfaction that the security concepts advanced both at European and international levels were taking shape. Mutual cooperation was of the essence in ensuring the drawing up of new port security regulations.

The security issues we are discussing have strenthened the maritime link among martime nations, a link that is vulnerable to the circumstances taking place in the world today. Every measure has a cost but the cost of inaction is even greater.

Mr Galea is Minister of Competitiveness and Communications