Key Asian Nations Meet Port Security Deadline

Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Japan have reported full compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security code, which went into effect today worldwide, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, June 30).

In addition, the Philippines and Thailand said between 68 and 85 percent of their ships have met the security requirements set by the International Maritime Organization. China has not released data on its compliance, but said it would implement the new rules.

While Asia is moving ahead quickly with implementation of the antiterrorism code, worldwide compliance is increasing but still lags behind that region, according to Agence France-Presse.

To date, 53.4 percent of 7,974 world ports have been certified, while 53.2 percent of the 22,539 ships have met the requirement — this number includes 56 percent of cargo ships, 71 percent of oil tankers, all cruise ships and 99 percent of parcel tankers (Martin Abbugao, Agence France-Presse, July 1).

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