Senior officials from Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia completed a week-long regional training course in conducting port facility security audits, which are essential to ensure the security of ports and ships.

The IMO Regional Training Course for Port Facility Security Auditors was held in Casablanca from 15 to 19 January, hosted by the Direction of the Marine Merchant (Ministry of Transport and Logistics), in collaboration with the National Ports Agency of Morocco. The initiative was funded by the Department for Transport of the United Kingdom.

Opened with a keynote address by the Director of the Marine Merchant in Morocco, Mr. Najib El Karkouri, the workshop equipped 21 participants with the knowledge and skills to effectively conduct oversight, in line with IMO maritime security measures.

The training covered relevant provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapter XI-2 and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), which form the basis for a comprehensive mandatory security regime for international shipping. These include assistance on how to conduct port facility security audits and the effective preparation of reporting and follow-up actions those generate.

Participants included representatives of the Designated Authorities (DA) of Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia, which are specified organizations responsible for maritime security nominated by the national Government.
Source: IMO