U.S. COAST GUARD EXPECTED TO FIND DRC PORTS ISPS COMPLIANT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000281

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EWWT ETRD KHLS PTER ASEC MARR ECON CG
SUBJECT: U.S. COAST GUARD EXPECTED TO FIND DRC PORTS ISPS COMPLIANT

REF: (A) KINSHASA 1084;
(B) STATE 125578;
(C) 08 KINSHASA 404


1. (SBU) Summary: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) International Port
Security Program conducted an Official Country Visit to the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) March 16-20 and found
significant improvements in security at all port facilities. The
USCG delegation evaluated the security measures at the ports of
Matadi, SOCOPE (Societe Congolaise de Peche),Boma, and Banana in
order to make additional recommendations to the Government of the
DRC (GDRC) and to determine whether the DRC has come back into
compliance with International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS)
code. The USCG Country Visit report has not yet been submitted, but
the preliminary finding is that DRC ports have responded to all
recommendations in the December 4, 2008 demarche (Refs A and B).
This most welcome - and surprising -development is due to increased
GDRC support to port authorities and to the continued hard work of
Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOs). End summary.

U.S. COAST GUARD SEES IMPROVED PORT SECURITY
--------------


2. (SBU) The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) conducted its first Official
Country Visit to the DRC since 2007 from March 16 through March 20.
LCDR Matthew Colmer, head of the International Port Security Program
delegation, was accompanied by Port Security Liaison Officer LCDR
Mike Farrell and Port Security Specialist Thomas White. The USCG
delegation and econoff met with Ministry of Transportation and port
authority officials, and visited the ports of Matadi, SOCOPE, Boma,
and Banana in order to assess whether the DRC has implemented all of
the recommendations necessary for International Ship and Port
Facility Security (ISPS) code compliance.


3. (SBU) The DRC has been on probationary status since 2007, and
econoff delivered a demarche on December 4, 2008 (Refs A and B)
which allowed only 90 days to come into compliance with the final
USCG recommendations. The possible consequence of non-compliance,
determined by the USCG, is the re-issuance of a Port Security
Advisory (PSA) that places restrictions on vessels that enter DRC
ports and plan to subsequently visit U.S. ports. The probationary
status, as well as any potential PSA, affects the ports of Matadi,
SOCOPE, SEP Congo, Boma, and Banana.


4. (SBU) The USCG delegation found several improvements at all ports
visited, including: the completion of perimeter walls; improved
access controls; management of truck and service vehicle traffic;
and identification badge processes (Ref C). The Port Director of
the Congolese National Transport Agency (ONATRA),Umba di Malanda,
and the Matadi Port Facility Security Officer, Medard Nsimba, have
made the most significant improvements at the port of Matadi. Dock
workers there no longer un-stuff containers on the quay; there is a
buffer zone between ships and the containers; and port authorities
maintain well-controlled vehicle traffic lanes running parallel to
the quay.


5. (SBU) LCDR Colmer made some follow-up recommendations to each
port, including: putting expiration dates on identification badges
for all facilities; removing small bottlenecks in pedestrian
traffic; sending the Boma and Banana PFSOs to formal PFSO training;
and updating the DRC's port information listed on the International
Maritime Organization's database. Colmer also encouraged the DRC's
participation in the West and Central Africa Port State Control
Memorandum of Understanding (a.k.a. the Abuja MOU),and suggested
that on-going port facility security plan assessments take into
account planned changes to each facility.

PORTS RECEIVE OVERDUE GDRC SUPPORT
--------------


6. (SBU) The USCG delegation met with Minister of Transportation
Matthieu Mpita on March 16, and delivered an out-brief to the
Minister on March 20. On both occasions, Mpita said the GDRC took
the USCG recommendations very seriously and that maritime security
was of great importance to the government. Mpita said he visited
all three major ports in February in order to make sure the USCG
Country Visit would go smoothly. Mpita also sent his Maritime
Advisor and the Ministry's Director of Maritime Waterways to
accompany the delegation during their port visits. Mpita's Chief of
Staff, Enerst Ilang'ikwa Bonkanya, arranged a meeting on March 20
with the CEO of ONATRA, Claude Pecune-Ponson, for the USCG to
present all further recommendations to improve security at the
ports. During meetings with both Minister Mpita and the ONATRA CEO,
the USCG delegation shared their views on the significant progress

KINSHASA 00000281 002 OF 002


they saw in each port. Colmer said the next step would be an
official USCG report that will be delivered to the Ministry of
Transportation through Embassy Kinshasa in the next four to six
weeks.


7. (SBU) Comment: The Coast Guard's positive evaluation gives a big
boost to port operations in the DRC. The ONATRA officials and PFSOs
have been working diligently over the last two years to bring the
DRC back into ISPS code compliance. Lack of GDRC support and
funding had, until recently, been the key impediment to their
success. The USCG delegation received high-level attention every
step of the way during their visit, including courtesy calls on the
Governor of the Bas-Congo province and the mayor of Boma. The
improvements in all ports were both remarkable and surprising, given
the short 90-day timeframe and the historically short shrift the
GDRC has given the issue of port security.


8. (SBU) Comment cont'd: The report of this visit, once approved by
the USCG, will likely find that the GDRC adequately complied with
all recommendations made in the December 4 demarche. There will be
a separate decision by the USCG, based largely on Colmer's Country
Visit report, whether to find the DRC compliant with ISPS code. The
delivery of good progress reports on March 20 reinforced the idea
that success with security measures is feasible, and encouraged the
ONATRA and Ministry of Transportation officials to continue their
hard work. Declaring the DRC to be ISPS code compliant will be an
important accomplishment for the GDRC and follows on the heels of
other positive developments in the country, including the March 8
victory of DRC's national soccer team at the Africa cup. Although
unrelated, these two accomplishments demonstrate that with hard
work, the DRC can make progress. We hope the advances in addressing
security concerns in the DRC's ports will have a positive
psychological impact and will spur those working in other sectors to
reach higher. End Comment.


GARVELINK