By Aerol John Pateña/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Security measures in three of the country’s international container ports were given positive assessments by the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation, the Davao International Container Terminal and the Manila International Container Terminal were found to have significantly improved in the conduct of the International Port Security Program (IPSP) following an assessment by the USCG in the country last month.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade lauded the assessments and vowed to further improve security protocols in container terminals and seaports nationwide.
“We appreciate the USCG Team for the visit and the assessment, as this will give us the baseline for our security standards as maritime trading partners. We value all efforts that will further enhance our interdependence leading to mutual prosperity,” Tugade said in a statement on Wednesday.
The assessment highlighted the efforts of concerned parties in applying corrective measures on the observations reported on the said ports in 2015.
The USCG Team pointed out areas that are needed to be improved in these ports such as continuous monitoring of CCTVs; implementation of uniform security measures throughout the perimeter fence; and employees’ identification and security tags bearing expiry dates or color coded.
Other recommendations include the establishment of a clear and direct communication link between the port facility security officer and ship’s security officer; random body search or inspection of cargo drivers and the improvement of security measures for Cruise Terminal Operation particularly in Subic.
The US Coast Guard visits all countries servicing US-flagged vessels engaged in international trade to facilitate sharing of port security best practices and development of mutual interests in securing ships coming in and out of the United States.
The visits include observations on port facility and vessel vulnerability assessment; security plan approval process leading to the issuance of an International Ship Security Certificate; and evaluation of security measures at a representative port or series of ports to verify compliance with the IPSP.
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