Officials are concerned that poorer countries might face difficulties in implementing US-driven measures to increase security for seaborne trade.
Speaking at Asia's first major conference on maritime security in Singapore yesterday, Admiral Thomas Collins, head of the US coastguard, said any significant terrorist attack on a shipping target would have a 'long-lasting and negative impact both to our system of trade and economy . . . The coastguard is looking to the entire maritime community for innovative ideas in meeting these new security requirements.'
Since the September 11 attacks in the US, governments and security experts have stressed the need to enhance security for ships, cargo and ports. The sense of urgency was heightened last year after a boat loaded with explosives damaged an oil tanker off the Yemeni coast.
The centrepiece of multilateral efforts to boost safeguards came last month at a conference organised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a United Nations body.
Delegates agreed to update the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, giving member states until July next year to implement extra safety steps. These included mandatory use of ship-identification devices and installation of on-board security systems.
In addition Washington has announced the Container Security Initiative. Fearful that containers may be used to conceal weapons, it wants all US-bound cargoes to be screened, with US agents stationed at overseas ports.
Although widely praised, the new measures have raised concerns that efficiency may be impaired, while governments and shipping agencies have fretted about the costs.
