Ministry Of Transportation Strives To Strengthen Ship Security And Port Facilities

Photo: Doc. Antara

The Directorate General of Sea Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) together with the United States Embassy carried out maritime security exercises or "Maritime Security Exercise" as an effort to strengthen the safety of ships and port facilities.

"This training is in order to increase capability and preparedness to face threat challenges related to international security codes for ships and port facilities or the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code," said Director of the Marine and Coast Guard Unit (KPLP) of the Directorate General of Sea Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation Jon Kenedi in a statement in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, June 12.

Jon said that the maritime training, which was carried out for three days from 11-13 June 2024, was a workshop and simulation of responses to the threat of ship security and port facilities.

"This collaboration in the form of exercise and workshop with the American Embassy is a tangible manifestation of the commitment of the KPLP Directorate in strengthening synergy between institutions and between countries as well as increasing our capability and preparedness of challenges and threats related to the ISPS Code," said Jon.

He explained that in maintaining the safety of ships and port facilities and ensuring smooth operation, the ISPS Code is a very strategic step to implement.

Since the implementation of the ISPS Code on July 1, 2004, Jon continued, the Directorate General of Sea Transportation as the Designated Authority has continuously made efforts to ensure optimal implementation of international security rules for ships and port facilities.

According to him, the ISPS Code provides a strong basis for regulating and implementing effective security measures.

"This not only has a positive impact on port facilities in Indonesia but also reflects the government's commitment to maintaining the security of all maritime infrastructure in the eyes of the world," said Jon.

Jon also said that maritime security challenges are increasingly complex and require firm action and synergy from all relevant parties.

Therefore, he hopes that with the holding of a workshop involving practitioners from the ranks of the United States Government, the participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the best practices and innovative strategies in managing ship security and port facilities.

"This workshop is also a valuable opportunity for us to exchange the latest knowledge, experience, information and technology to improve the professionalism and quality of security services in the maritime sector," he added.

On the same occasion, the United States Consul General (Konjen) in Surabaya Jonathan Alan said the United States and Indonesia had strong diplomatic relations and had existed for a long time, as well as in the protection of the maritime world.

"In implementing the ISPS Code, it takes a new consistency and breakthrough in creating optimal port facilities security which will ultimately have a positive impact on Indonesian maritime," he said.

Therefore, continued Jonathan, America is very open if the cooperation between Indonesia and Indonesia will be further improved in terms of scenario planning, coordination, and logistics.

"In the future, we also plan to send more delegates to Indonesia to get a sharing knowledge regarding the ISPS Code. This also marks the celebration of a partnership between the US and Indonesia, which is 75 years old," said Jonathan.

The training was attended by 62 participants from various agencies including four Main Portmaster and Port Authority (KSOP), ISPS Code Auditor, Surabaya Disnav, Tanjung Perak PLP Base, Police, TNI Cyber Unit, Ministry of Defense, Lantamal V Surabaya, State Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), State Intelligence Agency (BIN), East Java Customs & Excise, PT Pelindo I-IV, shipping company, port facility, and Recognized Security Organization (RSO).