An analysis of port state control inspections related to the ISPS Code

Murat YILMAZEL Lecturer

Ender ASYALI Assistant Professor

School of Maritime Business and Management, Dokuz Eylül University

Abstract

The ISPS Code had come into effect on the 1st of July 2004. The overall objectives of the Code are to establish an international framework involving cooperation between contracting governments, government agencies, local administrations and the shipping industry to detect maritime security threats and take pro-active measures against potential terrorist attacks against ships and/or port facilities which are the vital instruments of the international trade.

The Code aims to reduce the vulnerability of port facilities and merchant ships to terrorist attacks and to increase the secur ity awareness of the industry. The ISPS Code, is the first ever internationally and widely agreed proactive regulatory framework to safeguard the maritime industry, seaborne trade, and the world economy from terrorism. In this study the success level of i mplementation of the ISPS Code already achieved by the ship managers is analysed through the port state control databases of the major regional maritime administrations and MOUs such as the Paris MOU, the Tokyo MOU, the Black Sea MOU and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The monthly statistics of ISPS noncompliant ships have been compiled based on the variables such as the ships' flag, type, gross tonnage (gt), and the nature of deficiencies between the 1st July 2004, when the ISPS Code came into force, until the end those of months with available statistics currently released on the websites of the respective MOUs. Common awareness of errors and lapses, best practices, sharing of information, and industry-wide co-operation will play a vital role to develop a security culture in the shipping industry.

Keywords: ISPS Code, port state control, security culture, detention