Security
The world today, as seen through our newspapers and televisions, might seem an unsettled place. Few industries are more aware of the need for top rate security at all levels than container shipping.
Container shipping is a safe, secure and trusted way of moving cargo around the globe. It is in everyone’s interests that containerised cargo and everyone involved in its handling are kept safe and sound at all times.
Attention to safety and security starts with those working at the terminals and on the ships. Their welfare is of paramount concern. In line with International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirements, safety and security drills take place regularly for all crew. The SOLAS Convention is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships. The first version was adopted in 1914.
The container shipping industry adopts a policy of co-operation on security matters. It works very closely with the ports, terminals and customs authorities at place where their vessels call to ensure that the industry, although global in its reach, is always compliant with and sensitive to local regulations.
Since 2005, the industry has also worked within the World Customs Organisation’s SAFE Framework of Standards which secures the free movement of goods along the international supply chain and sets out the principles and standards for customs to follow with a specific focus on security.
The World Shipping Council, which represents most global container shipping lines, works closely with governments to develop effective strategies for maritime security improvement. It has established a Security Advisory Committee made up of representatives from member companies whose primary role is ‘to analyse, propose and implement measures that consistently improve the security of ports, vessels, cargo and personnel.’
Even at the level of the individual container, steps are taken to ensure the highest security. Each container has a unique identification number that is checked before it is loaded onto the ship. The container’s contents are also declared within the manifest by the cargo owners and supplier. In this way, each container and everything in it is recorded, and its movement traced.
Terrorism and piracy
The industry works continuously to minimise the threat of terrorism and piracy. Its members protect themselves and their people through a series of regulations and frameworks. Some are compulsory, others voluntary, and some are global while others are local.
A global, mandatory standard from the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) was implemented on 1 July 2004 as a result of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in the USA in 2001. Some 35,000 ships of all types, as well as port facilities worldwide, are now subject to this code. It requires shipping lines to take steps such as implementing ship security plans, nominating ship security officers and monitoring access to the ship . Another part of the ISPS regulations requires every ship’s crew and all port staff to be fully trained in security procedures . All of the world’s container shipping lines are subject to the ISPS Code.
There is also a voluntary international standard covering security from the International Organisation for Standardisation. This details a ‘plan-do-check-act’ risk management system for shipping lines to manage security concerns in the supply chain.
Local regulations are also in force. For example, all container ships travelling to the USA must comply with the ‘C-TPAT’ standard for security (Customs – Trade Partnership Against Terrorism). This is a voluntary initiative that encourages close cooperation between US customs and importers, shipping lines, customs brokers, and manufacturers.
Of course, when a ship is at sea, its crew is ultimately responsible for security. Captains and crew on all routes are well-trained and take a pragmatic approach: good local knowledge, radar detection and pirate watches ensure that they know when and where potential problems might arise.
In all areas of the container shipping industry, security is a prime concern. For the good of both the industry’s employees and of its customers, it will always remain so.
