US Coast Guard visits Ctg port to review security
A three-member team led by Lt Commander Christina Jones with Lt Commander Wade Thomson and Lt Stanley Tarrant reached the port on Sunday morning
A three-member team of the United States Coast Guard visited Chattogram port to see its security system as part of the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
The team led by Lt Commander Christina Jones with Lt Commander Wade Thomson and Lt Stanley Tarrant reached the port on Sunday morning as part of their two-day visit.
The team held a courtesy meeting with Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Rear Admiral Zulfiqur Aziz in the morning and then visited different jetties and sheds inside the port. On Monday they will join a training session for the CPA security personnel and will visit the port again, said CPA Secretary Omar Faruk.
“The US sends such teams to visit Chattogram port almost every year. We have taken the visits seriously. If their report is negative, the export from Bangladesh to the US would be interrupted. It would have a global impact as well,” he said.
The ISPS team has visited Chattogram port five times before. In the last visit in 2017, they identified security flaws and set a deadline for implementation.
“In the last few years, we have improved the security system a lot. Hopefully the team will be pleased to see this,” Omar said.
The CPA has started implementing the ISPS Code since 2004 to ensure international standard security systems for the port and vessels and agencies using it.