ISPS

Managed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), an agreement on security arrangements on ships and in ports was made on 12^th December 2001 and implemented as an amendment to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) from 1974.

This International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) consists of a comprehensive catalogue of measures and is intended to provide safety and security along the entire supply chain.

 

International und national implementation

The implementation of the ISPS Code within the European Union was effected by a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on 31^st March 2004. The regulations originally only intended for international ships were extended to shipping traffic within the European Union and its member states.

The ISPS Code is applied for cargo ships used on international voyages with a registered tonnage (RT) of 500 and more, including high-speed crafts, passenger ships, mobile offshore drilling units, and port facilities handling this type of vessel.

The ISPS code mainly aims at standardising internationally agreed preventative measures to prevent terror attacks on ships and port facilities.

It is also meant to prevent seagoing vessels and port facilities from becoming the target of international terrorist attacks or being used as a means of transport for terror attacks.

Additionally, the ISPS Code specifies responsibilities and facilitates the seamless exchange of security-related data.

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the ISPS Code has been applied since 1^st July 2004.

The responsible authority for shipping is the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, while the respective federal state is responsible for the individual ports. For North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the federal state in which Krefeld is located, the responsibility lies with District Council Düsseldorf, Department 22, Port Security NRW.