The new International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code went into effect on Thursday and will help deter security threats.told the House of Assembly on Friday that the ISPS code requires ship and port facility staff to carry out a list of duties to enable the detection and deterrence of security threats in maritime operations.

Staff are required to gather and assess information, maintain communication protocols, restrict access to and prevent the introduction of unauthorised weapons, provide the means to raise alarms, and put in place vessel and port security plans, said Dr. Brown.

He added: ?Each port with ships departing to the US is required to submit a port security plan to the contacting country and in the case of Bermuda this is, of course, the UK.?

Dr. Brown pointed out recent news reports of ships being denied entry into US ports for non-compliance. The date of full compliance was July 1, he said.

As a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US, the International Maritime Organisation?s Diplomatic Conference of December 2002 adopted new regulations to enhance maritime security around the world. These regulations are referred to as the ISPS Code.

Dr. Brown informed the House that all ships on the Bermuda shipping registry are in full compliance with the ISPS Code.

?The Ministry of Transport is indeed proud of this achievement as many other ports around the world are not in compliance and their ports and shipping registries are now operating under a cloud,? he said.