Danish ports adjusting to the security code

The Danish Ministry of Transport is about to make the security around a number of Danish ports much more lax than at present, and still have these ports rated as safe and secure.

The new way of conducting the security measures comes one year after the magic date 1st of July 2004. In the meantime, the association called Danish Port and the Ministry of Transport via Kystdirektoratet as the competent authority have been negotiating to ease the burden of the smaller ports in particular with few international calls per year.

The point will be that these ports remain rated as safe and secure ports but will provide free access to the whole area when not being used for international calls. In practice, this means that the gates will be open and the 24 hour surveillance and 24 hour security patrols will not be in operation when there are no ships in the port. This will help the smaller ports to cut down on their staffing costs, even if they still have to maintain some kind of back-up system and be ready to reinstate the level of security as soon as a ship calls at the port.

Negotiations
– We have been working with the authorities for the whole period, explains Tom Elmar Christensen, from the Danish Port association.

– Our members, 60 of the 85 secure Danish ports, have urged us to do something to minimise the burden of the smaller ports. I think we are talking about some 15 ports, but it will be up to each port to determine the limit for international calls. The ports can independently decide whether to set this limit at 15, 20 or 25 per year.

The new Danish rules still are being negotiated between the parties, but they are expected to be ready for approval within the next couple of months. Shortly after this, the new set of rules will have to be approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

– We expect it all to be approved some six months from now, says Tom Elmer Christensen.

Even if the rules have not been approved yet, some ports are already applying them. A number of ports remain open for public use when no ship are moored alongside the quays.

– Last year’s rules, which meant that most of the quay areas were locked up and kept behind fences, offended a large number of citizens all over the country, explains Tom Elmer Christensen.

– Ship-lovers, fishermen and other ordinary citizens have reacted to the closed areas with angry letters and other kinds of protests.

Freed of all charges
At the port of Esbjerg, one person violated the rules by going to the area reserved for fishing on the quayside as he had done for the past 25 years. He was arrested by the police and charged with violating the port territory. However, before the case came before the court, the judge refused to hear it and the fisherman was freed of all charges.

The fences in bigger ports are equipped with automatic closing systems, but a number of smaller ports only work with mobile fences, which are instantly mounted on the quays when needed. When there are no ships alongside the quay, there are signs to warn the public that they are entering a secure area and have no access without permission.

– This works very well for the ports, says Tom Elmer Christensen.

– The signs in combination with security patrols ensure that the port area is clean, clean enough to be rated as a secure port.

//Bent Mikkelsen