ISPS Code

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code was developed in response to the heightened concern about terrorism after the attacks of September 2001, and it was brought into force through amendments to SOLAS in a new Chapter XI-2. Its purpose is to create a standardised, international framework for detecting and deterring security threats to ships and the ports they use, treating security as a managed discipline in the same way the ISM Code treats safety.

Under the code, ships and port facilities must carry out security assessments and operate an approved security plan. Each ship has a Ship Security Plan and a designated Ship Security Officer aboard, while the company appoints a Company Security Officer ashore and each port facility has a Port Facility Security Officer. Ships are fitted with security equipment such as a ship security alert system that can send a covert alarm, and access to the ship, the handling of cargo and stores, and the monitoring of restricted areas are all controlled according to the plan.

A central feature is the system of three security levels. Level 1 is the normal state at which minimum protective measures are maintained at all times. Level 2 applies heightened measures for a period when there is an increased risk, and Level 3 applies exceptional measures when an incident is probable or imminent, usually set by government authorities. Ships and ports must be able to move up and down these levels and to work together, since a ship at a higher level than the port, or vice versa, must reconcile the difference. Compliance is certified by an International Ship Security Certificate, checked by Port State Control, and the code is now a routine part of every international voyage, shaping how visitors board, how gangways are watched and how cargo and stores are received.