U.N. agrees on new maritime anti-terror laws
By Stefano Ambrogi
LONDON (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had approved a raft of new and radical maritime security laws to counter the threat of terrorist attack through ports and shipping lines.
It said in a statement the measures, some of which are recommendations and others mandatory, include placing security officers on board every ship, fitting vessels with onboard technology that can relay information about the ship, cargo and crew back to the mainland, and enhancing existing port security arrangements.
The United States has been the driving force behind bolstering existing laws. Since September 11, maritime security experts have repeatedly warned of the vulnerability of the United States to attack from the sea.
U.S. intelligence chiefs fear fuel-laden tankers could be seized and used as floating missiles, or any one of tens of thousands of shipping containers shuttled into the country each day which could contain a nuclear device.
William O'Neil, Secretary-General of the 162-member International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the U.N.'s shipping body, called the marathon 10-day meeting in London to approve the historically significant measures.
"Not so much from the viewpoint of the volume of work the Committee was able to accomplish...but, more importantly, in respect of the substance of the decisions made," O'Neil said in the statement.
The far-reaching proposals are contained in a new ship and port facility code to be implemented through an existing maritime law introduced in 1974, known as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
"This is the first time the need to look at and assess maritime security has become mandatory," a spokeswoman said of the proposals.
The IMO said each signatory would now be obliged to carry out a "risk management" assessment of its ships and ports and then determine which security measures to adopt.
"Each assessment must identify the actual threats to those critical assets and infrastructure in order to prioritise security measures," it said.
But it would then be up to each nation to decide on which part of the guidelines to adopt it added.
The new measures will be scrutinised again in September before finally being put forward for adoption at a diplomatic conference on security in December.
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