On 30 June 2004, the Ministry of Communications (MOC) organised various port and ship security exercises at Yantian International Container Terminals (YICT) to practice the application of the IMO’s International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. Subsequent to the successful completion of the exercises, Mr. Xu Zuyuan, Vice Minister of MOC, granted YICT one of the country’s first “Port Facility Security Certificates”.
To ensure YICT’s security plan is in compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) ISPS Code, a series of exercises were carried out to test the terminals’ response to several degrees of security threats. In addition, a model security incident was simulated from start through to conclusion. The exercises highlighted the various contingency measures taken by the port and government authorities. The successful completion of the exercises revealed that YICT’s security plan fully meets the requirements of the ISPS Code.
China has been classified a “Category A” member state of the IMO. In order to strengthen maritime security against the threat of terrorism, the IMO held a conference, “Contracting Governments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974”, in December 2002. This gathering adopted special measures to enhance maritime security, the ISPS Code. The ISPS Code requires all port facilities and large ships to obtain the security certification before 1 July 2004.
A total of over 260 people, including officials from MOC, Guangdong Provincial and Shenzhen Municipal Governments, and representatives from Port of Authorities in the coastal cities including Hong Kong and Macao were present to witness the exercises.