Members of the U.S. Coast Guard’s International Port Security Program facilitated a two-day Legislative Drafting Workshop with maritime security stakeholders November 18-20, 2014. The Directorate of Shipping Aruba hosted the event which was held at the Dr. Edward Cheung Center for Innovation.
U.S. Congress charges the U.S. Coast Guard International Port Security Program with evaluating security in the ports of the U.S.’s maritime trading partners. The standard for evaluation is the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), which was adopted in 2004 by all signatories to the International Maritime Organization’s SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention. The program has visited 150 countries since the ISPS Code’s adoption. The International Port Security Program may extend an offer for capacity building assistance in the form of training or drafting of laws and regulations that give back to the ISPS Code.
Aruba has established port security legislation, but was looking to identify gaps and ultimately address needs to better provide a more secure and efficient port. With the support of the Directorate of Shipping Director Carlyle De Coteau, the program facilitated a two-day legal drafting workshop, which aimed to point Aruba toward new articles that would eventually be incorporated into existing legislation.
Representatives from the Directorate of Shipping, Legal Counsel National Security, Maritime and Aviation Security Inspection, Aruba Ports Authority, Valero Refinery, Aruba Stevedoring Company, Aruba Maritime Police Corps, Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, and National Security Aruba attended the legal drafting workshop. The end goal of the proactive workshop is for updated legislation on ship and port facility security to be drafted and passed through the Ministry of Transportation. Such legislation will help ensure compliance of the ISPS Code, and improve responsiveness, efficiency, and security within the port.
