Maritime and port authorities in Mauritius have boosted their capacity to draw up and implement effective port facility security plans, following an IMO workshop held in Port Louis (9-13 December).
Port facility security plans outline specific security measures and procedures to protect ships, cargo and people against threats to maritime safety, including terrorism, smuggling and unauthorised access.
The train-the-trainer workshop brought together 25 senior personnel from the Mauritian Maritime Administration and Port Authority, in charge of the implementation of the port facility security plans. This included port facility security officers, training officers, port security staff and relevant port facility managers, who received training on the requirements for Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOs) and Designated Authority (DA) officials.
Participants gained the knowledge and skills required to perform their duties in accordance with relevant provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) chapter IX-2 and the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, as well as to train others with similar responsibilities.
The workshop was organised by IMO in collaboration with the Shipping Division of the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries of Mauritius, and implemented under the EU-funded Port Security project.