Committees updated on Global South port security project

A major project to support the safety and security of port facilities on vital trade routes in the in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region is set to continue its work. Future plans include national workshops in each beneficiary country to assess law enforcement capacity in each of the three domains covered by the project, IMO press office reported.

The members of the Steering Committee and Technical Committee of the Port Security and Safety of Navigation in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean project were updated on progress to date and the project’s next steps at separate meetings held 23 to 25 May in Cape Town, South Africa. The Port Security Project aims to ensure the safety and security of port facilities on vital trade routes in the EA-SA-IO region critical to the economic development and prosperity of the Global South.  

Alongside IMO, the project, which was initiated in 2020, is jointly implemented by the International Criminal Pollice Organization (INTERPOL) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the strategic direction of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).  

The Port Security Project provides technical expertise to increase safety and efficiency in the maritime sector. Its work is split between the three implementing partners, with IMO focused on the port security and safety aspects of navigation, whilst INTERPOL and UNODC work on its law enforcement aspects.  

In addition to the implementing partners, those at the Cape Town meetings included National Focal Points from the respective project countries: Angola, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles and the United Republic of Tanzania. The meetings were coordinated by the Indian Ocean Commission.  

The Port Security Project’s nine beneficiary countries and three partner countries took part in the Cape Town meetings, along with regional partners. The event was hosted by the South Africa Maritime Safety Authority, which holds observer status on the project. The European Union, which sponsors the project, was also represented.