A United States Coast Guard representative commended Fiji for maintaining port security and ensuring global supply chain channels were “secure, prosperous and smooth”.
Lieutenant Commander Christopher Schleck made the comment at the end of a four-day seminar on Port Facility Security Assessments and Port Facility Security Plans organised by the US Department of Homeland Security and Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF).
He was part of the 20 participants from Fiji Ports, Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, MSAF and the US Coast Guard that undertook the training.
The seminar included training on the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code which highlighted the mandatory requirements for member countries.
During the forum, discussions were centred around assessments of Fiji’s port facilities and security features against international benchmarks.
The discussions also included the identification of risks and strategies for mitigation. Another participant, Salaseini Lesinanawa from MSAF said the seminar allowed them to relate the key points shared to their responsibilities as a delegated authority in Fiji’s ports.
“From here we hope to continue to engage with the US Coast Guard because they have key experts in training — they faced the 9/11 national crisis so they are the key people to talk to,” she said.
Ms Lesinanawa said the seminar also raised awareness on assessing and preventing risks like terrorism, theft, breach of surveillance and piracy.
