Terrorist attack cannot be ruled out says Works Minister

With ship owners being able to easily hide their identities and the origin and description of goods often vague, a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out on our ports, Works Minister Franklyn Khan said yesterday. He told officials attending the 66th annual general meeting of the Shipping Association of TT (SATT) at the Hilton Trinidad  that, under new global shipping  regulations, there will be greater scope for inspection and detention of foreign registered vessels for non-compliance. “Compliance is not an option,” he said.  

He also warned that TT faced severe penalties unless  its ships and ports were acting in accordance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS). Failure to implement the code would result in ships avoiding TT’s ports and our registered ships being disallowed from trading with the US and European countries.
The ISPS comes into force on July 1. Khan said that Trinidad and Tobago might have to step in to assist other Caricom countries before the deadline date kicks in, and which might include funding. Drumming home the point that terrorism was not a trivial matter, Khan said this was proving to be a formidable challenge.   

Among the key terrorist elements  of the industry was that it employed a diverse international labour force; transports a range of goods whose description and ownership are often vague; vessels are registered in dozens of countries and some fail to uphold international obligations and  a system of company registration that allows owners of vessels to hide their true identities. He noted, too, that there are more than 230 million container movements through ports every year, a logistical nightmare. 

On the ISS code itself, Khan said the TT Coast Guard has been appointed the designated authority for the security of port facilities, while the Maritime Services Division will be responsible for the safety and security of ships. Government has also set up a Maritime Safety and Security Advisory Committee to monitor the implementation of the programme as it relates to port facility security. In February, Cabinet agreed to funding in the sum of $22.2 million for the ports of Port-of-Spain and Scarborough.

He also noted that $3.7 million has been earmarked for the Maritime Services Unit and the Coast Guard will be beefed up to 98 officers. In the area of port development, the Port Authority is restructuring, he said. Two companies will be formed: The Port of Port-of-Spain for cargo handling operations, and the Port-of-Spain Infrastructure Company Ltd, the real estate management and holding company.