After the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) declared its decision to work, together with the interested countries, in order to prevent maritime transport from becoming a target of international terrorism and other illegal acts.

During December 2002, some measures were approved which resulted in amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, Chapters V and XI; the adoption of the “International Ship and Port Facility Security Code” which came into force on July 1, 2004.

Up to that moment, the International Maritime Organization had not made any attempts to regulate by means of a binding Convention such as SOLAS aspects related to Public Safety of Ships and Port Facilities, defined as MARITIME SECURITY.

“ MARITIME AND PORT FACILITY SECURITY” is closely related to the creation of spaces in the field of safety for the economic and commercial development of our country.

Internationally, this is a worrying matter which was given priority in the agenda of the government of the United States of America, supported by the rest of the international community. A decision was made towards the prevention of any acts of this kind which involve a threaten to global peace and safety.

This concern on the part of the United States was strong enough to make the international maritime community participate and to give it the necessary legal tools in order to try to eliminate this kind of events, introducing the concept of a global integrated system for ships, passengers, crew, cargo and ports.

This concern for ship safety has historical roots related to Prefectura Naval Argentina due to our condition of Security Force specialized in port and navigation matters. Among the threatens to security we can mention - apart from terrorism - illegal acts such as piracy, armed attacks, illegal migration, stowaways, arm smuggling, drug trafficking, etc.

Security against terrorism and other illegal acts is not an isolated matter anymore, it has turned into a global problem which demands global attention and global solutions.

In short, the amendments provide for modifications to on-board equipment, the inclusion of a continuous synopsis record, the acceleration of the automatic identification system implementation, IMO identification number permanently marked, ship security alert equipment, and essentially the adoption of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. All this implies the execution of security plans on ships and in port facilities.

The Security Code included new functions, such as: Company Security Officer, Ship Security Officer and Port Facility Security Officer whose training is in charge of the Institution. These Officers have to develop and implement the security plans approved and certified by Prefectura Naval Argentina, therefore, the institutional involvement in this process is of vital importance.

Among the measures adopted by our Organization immediately after the events of September 11, 2001, we can mention the implementation of persons, cargo and luggage Control Systems at passenger terminals; the redistribution of river and air means in order to increase the number of the activities related to surveillance and prevention of crime; early documentation checks to ships that arrive; incorporation of new technologies in vessel traffic movement systems; security surveys on eventual threatens or other illegal acts to masters of ships; training on luggage control, explosives detection, use of scanners and walk-through metal detectors; training on assistance to tourists and, in general, measures that aim at achieving the concept of “INTEGRAL SECURITY” so as to give an answer to the demands of the international community.

As part of the process of raising security awareness in our jurisdiction, the matter was put forward before other related organizations such as Customs, Immigration Service, Shipping and Port Associations, Port Management Groups and Trade Union Representatives.

During this year there were courses for the Senior Officers of the Institution in order for them to be trained as Maritime Security Auditors and ISPS Code Instructors aiming at developing the implementation process of the new measures and giving advice to the administered sector.

Currently, the necessary processes for the execution of the system are being improved. The relevant rules (Maritime Ordinances) have been issued; new courses, seminars, conferences, assessment visits to port facilities and interaction with other State organizations related to the port sector have been implemented.

Among the conclusions we draw we can see in the first place that “GLOBALIZATION DEMANDS DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO MEET INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS INCLUDING SECURITY, AN ASPECT WHICH WILL NOT BE AN ADJUSTMENT VARIABLE.” Security has become a decisive factor for the continuity of foreign trade, affecting the people who operate on board in the ship-port interface.

The adoption of the security measures considered among the new measures establishes the difference between those that can be in the world of the international shipping trade and those who cannot be in that world.

For this reason Prefectura Naval Argentina has to contribute to the process with the highest quality and in the most efficient way From the maritime industry point of view, it is essential to know the objectives clearly. We must generate trust in the fact that security responses correspond to a level of threaten on the basis of a sensible and systematic way of measurement.

The Convention is applicable to SOLAS ships and to port facilities that operate with such ships. However, Contracting Governments can broaden the scope of these measures to other ships and port facilities that were not covered initially by the provisions to the extent that they affect the security level desired. All this effort aimed at meeting international requirements as regards maritime security forces our port system to adapt itself to international demands and to adjust its security level so as to be able to develop our international trade.

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• International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (310 kb)

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Award ceremony of the first Ship Security International Certificate and of the first Statement of Compliance of a Port Facility, issued according to the provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, Chapter XI-2, as amended.

The tragic events that took place in September 2001 gave rise to different actions that affected a variety of aspects of human life, having an impact not only on a country, on a nation, but on the whole world community. As the maritime activity is one of the most global ones in the world trade, any event of that kind has a strong influence on it and affects its development directly.

The entering into effect of the special measures to increase maritime security, as of the introduction of the amendments to SOLAS International Convention and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, is a turning point in the history of transport by sea. The underlying reasons are given by the rule itself as it defines its objectives as follows: “establishing an international framework of cooperation among contracting governments, government organizations, local administrations and the shipping and port industries, in order to detect threatens and adopt preventive measures against events that affect the security of ships and port facilities.”

As most of you know, Prefectura Naval Argentina, aware of its responsibilities as coastal State, flag State and Port State, engaged in an intense activity at a domestic and international levels from the very beginning, particularly within the International Maritime Organization.

The measures adopted by the unanimous decision of the international maritime community are not new for a maritime police Institution as Prefectura Naval Argentina, which performs police functions in the fields of safety of navigation and ports as of its creation in 1810, when those functions were performed by the old Port Captainship Office, whose essence has been maintained unchanged to this day.

In order to minimize the impact that the implementation of the security measures may have over the economy in general, and contributing to the facilitation and efficiency of transport and trade by sea in particular, our Institution has made a great effort developing management strategies that allow different participation mechanisms, always working together with all the sectors and organizations involved, supporting the shipping and port industries so as they can meet the new maritime security standards, and fostering a more competitive position of the Nation regarding the productive and commercial capacity of the country.

However, we believe that security is a value of paramount importance that is achieved with the commitment and the involvement of the whole community. For this reason, we are aware of the important role played by the different private and public entities in this process to meet the maritime security standards demanded by the present and future world, aiming at preventing transport by sea and port facilities from becoming vulnerable targets regarding any illegal and aberrant acts.

In that sense, and due to the responsibility of Prefectura Naval Argentina in its capacity as enforcement authority of SOLAS Convention, strengthened due to its designation as security authority, a number of regulating rules were enacted and new internal structures were created which are devoted to the enforcement of these international documents aiming at ensuring an acceptable risk in matters of security, and with the objective of implementing the corresponding ship and port facility certification processes.

In order to face the challenge of increasing ship and port facility safety and security in order to prevent maritime transport from becoming a vulnerable target of all types of threatens, including terrorism, Prefectura Naval Argentina enhanced its human, organizational and logistics capacities, generating positive actions before the entering into force of the ISPS Code. This was aimed at creating a true security culture regarding those operations associated with maritime transport and giving the international trade by sea a clear signal regarding the commitments undertaken by our country before the world, ensuring the implementation and fulfilment of the new international standards that will result in a good Argentine trade flow.

The good implementation of the new international standards implies a competitive need in the shipping and port management and for our international trade by sea. These first certifications, a first step that in short will be followed by more certifications, symbolize the result of a joint effort of all the entities involved and it evidences that we are on the right path.

Having achieved the first certification under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, the Argentine-flagged tanker ONA TRIDENTE, operated by TRANS ONA S.A., is awarded the International Certificate of Ship Security. The certificate is received by the president of the company Mr. Bautista Ardizone and it is given by Prefecto Nacional Naval Mr. Carlos Edgardo Fernández, together with the Undersecretary of Ports and Waterways, Architect Carlos Salas.

Having achieved the first certification under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, San Antonio Este in the Province of Río Negro is awarded the Statement of Compliance of the Port Facility. This port facility is operated by PATAGONIA NORTE S.A. The certificate is received by the president of the company Mr. Alberto Lacaze and it is given by the Prefecto Nacional Naval, together with the Undersecretary of Ports and Waterways, Architect Carlos Salas.

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• Ordinance Nº 1/1981: Provision on Ship Night Watchmen. (128 KB)
• Ordinance No 1/1994: Rules on registration, authorization and operation of private surveillance and guard agencies within port facilities. (234 KB)
• Ordinance No 4/2003: Rules on ship security certificates under Part "A" of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code). (260 KB)
• Ordinance No 6/2003: Rules on Statement of Compliance of a Port Facility under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code). (264 KB)
• Ordinance No 9/2003: Rules on registration, authorization and operation of recognized security organizations. (28,6 KB)
• Ordinance No 1/2004: Rules on the registration and authorization of Port Security Officers and Maritime Security Company Officers. (126 KB)
• Exception to Ordinance No 1/2004: Interim authorization of Port Security Officers and Maritime Security Company Officers. (133 KB)

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• Authority in Charge of Ship Security Alert System.

• Maritime Security Communications from other Contracting Governments should be sent to:

• Requests for assistance in case of security incidents should be sent to: