Georgetown: A significant indicator of the health of a nation’s Maritime sector is the level of its adherence to the International Maritime Conventions, specifically the Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) convention. Almost immediately following the devastating September 11, 2001 attack on the US World Trade Centre, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) set about amending SOLAS in order to strengthen maritime safety. The SOLAS Chapter 74 Amendment XI became the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code which every nation traversing the seas and oceans of the world is required to become signatories to. As such, every wharf and maritime facility in Port Georgetown, Berbice and Essequibo is required to put in place specific measures to guard against any type of maritime terrorist activity.
Guyana has been a signatory to SOLAS for more than a decade. From the inception of the ISPS Code in 2004, the Shipping Association of Guyana (SAG) has been working with the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) to ensure that our ports remain ISPS compliant. In 2013 the United States Coast Guard (USCG) which is the designated authority for enforcement of the ISPS Code, visited Guyana to inspect our facilities ahead of the issuance of the 2014 – 2019 Compliance Certificate.
The general shortcoming identified by the visiting team was the absence of the unrelenting execution of Port Security requirements at some wharf facilities. Every public and privately held maritime facility must be compliant before Guyana could achieve certification. The Code requires, among other things, that security personnel are always present, that fences and partitions are constructed at specific heights, and that security cameras are always functional. The US Coast Guard also found that Port Facility Security Plans at most wharf facilities in Guyana were in place but were being treated as contingencies rather than a way of life. This, they said, was a recurring theme throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
The USCG delivered specific recommendations which the Shipping Association has inculcated into its work programme for 2014. In close collaboration with MARAD, the SAG took the proactive approach to sector sensitization and hosted a very crucial awareness seminar for Port Operators on 18th February last. The key objective was to ensure that senior supervisory staff as well as Port and Ship Security Officers were fully aware of how essential their adherence to the ISPS Code was to Guyana’s image and to our accessibility to international maritime traffic. The one-day seminar was also designed to reinforce the need for continued observance and correction of all protection systems and procedures.
According to Chairman of the S.A.G, Desmond Sears, in his opening remarks, there is a need for staff at all levels of wharf operations to ensure that everyone develops awareness of the Code and its requirements. He said that at those facilities where the “system of issuing daily reminders to Guards” was implemented, the Supervisors found that it engendered serious enquiries and consequent discussions that led to visible improvements. He also emphasized the negative national economic consequences that would result from non-compliance with any requirement of the ISPS code.
“There are considerable challenges to successful implementation of the ISPS Code, but non-compliance could result in a USCG Advisory which may black-list a Port,” he noted. “Implementation of this Code is no mean task as both time and money must be expended by both Government and Terminal Owners/Operators in order to sustain Guyana’s compliance.”
Mr. Sears expressed the S.A.G’s appreciation for MARAD’s immediate agreement to contribute their expertise to the awareness seminar, and took the opportunity to applaud their consistent pursuit of long-term goals that would ensure the safety and well being of the entire nation.
Participants of the seminar which was held at the Cara Lodge, represented the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC), the Guyana Oil Company (GUYOIL), Courtney Benn Contracting Services, Benjamin’s Marine and Salvaging Company, Demerara Shipping, Regal Shipping, Bosai Minerals, Guyana National Industrial Company (GNIC), John Fernandes Ltd. (JFL) and Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. among other operators of cargo/freight terminals, wharves and Customs Brokerages.
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