IMO organises ‘Training to support maritime security in the Red Sea Area’

LONDON : Port facility personnel with designated security duties in Djibouti have received training to identify potential security threats and take action to prevent risks to port facilities. The workshop (21-25 January) was organised by IMO through the EU-funded Regional Programme on Maritime Security in the Red Sea Area, bringing together 38 participants.  

The participants, civilian and military, represented the Maritime Administration, the navy, the coastguard, Gendarmerie Nationale, immigration, and included port facility security officers, access control officers, training officers, port authority and relevant port facility managers. 

The course (based on IMO model course 3.24) provided the knowledge required to perform duties in accordance with key IMO safety and security instruments: the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS); chapter XI-2, the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code; the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code; and the IMO/ILO Code of Practice on Security in Ports.  

The event fostered collaboration between agencies with an interest in port security – a cornerstone of the Red Sea Programme. The Programme, funded by the European Union, is delivered by IMO, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Hereby IMO aims to assist participating countries in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, to enhance maritime security and safety in the Red Sea Area, in line with the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy. 

Find out more about IMO and the Red Sea Area here, and read IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez’ message that ‘Seafarer safety comes first in Red Sea’.