Minister praises firm stance on maritime threats |27 May 2010

He was speaking at the opening of the South Asian and African Regional Ports Security Cooperative (Saarpsco) conference at Le Méridien Barbarons hotel, organised jointly by the United States Coast Guard and the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA).

Saarpsco is a maritime community of 28 countries which collaborate on various issues relating to maritime safety and security.

The forum is taking place under the theme: Seafarers’ cooperative strategy for safer ports, waterways and coastal security, and is chaired by SPA chief executive Lieutenant Colonel Andre Ciseau, who is also chairman of Saarpsco.
Also present were its newly appointed president Hans Niebergall and US commander for coast guard activities in the Far East, Captain Gerald Swanson.

Acting deputy chief of mission Craig White – representing US ambassador to Seychelles Mary Jo Wills – was also there, as well as Seychelles People’s Defence Forces chief Brigadier Leopold Payet, secretary of state Jean-Paul Adam and Seychelles Tourism Board marketing director Alain St Ange.

The three-day conference is also being attended by representatives from Djibouti, India, Mauritius, Sudan, Tanzania and Zanzibar, and from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

And local representatives from various sectors such as the National Drugs Enforcement Agency, the Seychelles Police, Customs Division and Fire Brigade are taking part.

Mr Morgan said it is encouraging to see that at a time when threats to maritime security are unabated, many countries have increased their efforts to tackle them.

He urged all taking part to redouble their efforts and take more decisive action, since our enemies are surely intensifying theirs.
“Let us work together to turn the visions of Saarpsco into realities,” he said.
This can be done, firstly, by improving government interaction within the maritime region, with a greater sharing of information and intelligence networking, he added.

Secondly, there is a need to empower the maritime community by innovating and developing strategic policies and training.

“According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the total world merchant fleet has already exceeded one million deadweight tons, and the high volume of shipping activity in the Asian-African region has led to the issue of maritime safety and security becoming a global concern,” said Mr Morgan.

He said reports show that South-East Asia accounts for half of all pirate activities worldwide.
It is estimated that last year alone Seychelles lost €6 million in cancellations and lost bookings as a direct result of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

“We have had fewer cruise ships and superyachts visiting us during the cruise ship season this year,” he added.
“But together we can successfully combat threats to maritime security and uphold the IMO council’s theme for 2010: Year of the Seafarer.”

Lt Col Ciseau said Saarpsco should be used as a platform from which to tackle all matters relating to port security.
“None of our countries is immune to the increasing threats to our livelihood as maritime nations,” he said.

Recent events have shown that maritime operations are being alarmingly destabilised by various menaces to the safety and security of seafarers, and ultimately to the economy of their homeland, Lt Col Ciseau said.

Be it piracy threats, people-smuggling operations or the narcotics trade, each of our countries has been and continues to be a victim of one form of threat or another.

“This new era has led to the need to develop and carry out security measures that are most attainable and effective,” he said.

Each year over 100,000 ships transit the Indian Ocean trade routes and engage in import and export of vital goods, he added.
To help him with the Saarpsco operation, Lt Col Ciseau has appointed Mr Niebergall as his president. Together they will help to establish the cooperative as a non-governmental organisation here in Seychelles.

Lt Col Ciseau said this will turn the community into a corporation to allow it to get sponsorship from businesses, governments and the maritime industry.

Capt Swanson said many countries have not fully carried out all the IMO requirements for port security.

Looking back on the history of Saarpsco, he said the US Coast Guard and the Republic of Maldives co-hosted a maritime security conference in 2008 entitled Partnering for a Safer Sea, whose goal was to set up a regional forum to share port and maritime security information.

Last year, the strategic aim focused on harmonising port and maritime security networking throughout the Indian Ocean, to include countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.

And then in September 2009 Mauritius hosted a broader maritime community, now known as Saarpsco, at a conference entitled Port and maritime governance through international cooperation.

Capt Swanson said their goal is to get all nations together to tackle maritime security issues.