QUEBEC PORT AUTHORITY COMPLIES WITH ISPS CODE

UNCLAS QUEBEC 000107 SIPDIS SENSITIVE OTTAWA FOR ECON AND DHS/ICE STATE FOR WHA/CAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EWWT KCIP PHSA PTER PREL KCRM MARAD IMO SUBJECT: QUEBEC PORT AUTHORITY COMPLIES WITH ISPS CODE REF: A. HALIFAX 134 ¶B. MONTREAL 696 ¶C. TORONTO 1132 ¶D. LIMA 3239 ¶1. Summary: The Port of Quebec announced significant investments to heighten security at its six harbor facilities hence fulfilling the International Maritime Organization (IMO) International Shipping and Port Security Code (ISPS). With financial assistance from the federal government to help meet the requirements, the Quebec Port Authority has committed Cdn$1 million this year to improve port infrastructures and increase staffing. U.S. Coast Guard audited facilities July 1. End Summary. ¶2. The Quebec Port Authority (QPA) announced investments worth Cdn$1 million to comply with the ISPS requirements that took effect July 1, 2004. Transport Canada on May 14 approved a port facility plan and a cost and security assessment, and will reimburse 75% of the total investments. Quebec harbormaster Michel Petit told us that the sums will add security fencing, gatehouses, magnetic control cards, and surveillance cameras to monitor the port area. A new coordination center was also put into operation and will operate in partnership with the local RCMP division, Canadian Coast Guard, and municipal police. The QPA has also quadrupled the number of port police, made of up contract security agents, on the site. ¶3. Petit was reluctant to provide further details on the new measures, maintaining it was protected information. (Post heard of the measures via a radio news item; it was not covered in the usually more thorough local print media, nor is it noted on the Port website.) Petit pointed out that U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada officials had audited the port facilities on July 1, which easily met the set standards. Work is steadily underway, he said, and should be totally implemented by December ¶2004. ¶4. Quebec City attracts 58,000 cruise ship passengers, many of which are Americans arriving from Boston and New York, as well as 21,000 crew members. In 2003, the Port of Quebec handled 20.2 million tons of merchandise; mainly wheat, iron ore, clinker, methanol, newspaper, crude and jet oil, and alumina. Port Director Ross Gaudreault announced that 2003 ended with record tonnage - a 45% increase over the preceding two years. The new security initiatives put into place will improve the monitoring of shipments and passengers arriving and circulating in the metropolitan Quebec City area.