Sri Lanka branch of Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST) UK arranged a presentation on International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) code at Water's Edge, Battaramulla on April 28 for the maritime community in the country. The presenter was Rear Admiral Jayanath Colombage, Commander Eastern Naval Area of Sri Lanka Navy who is the certified lecturer of International Maritime Organization (IMO) on ISPS code. The meeting was chaired by the Eng. Lionel Pinto, the chairman local branch and the presentation was addressed to a large gathering of seafarers and their stakeholders covering the scope of maritime security and ISPS code and Sri Lankan experience.

Oceans connected the world and even those countries which are landlocked are dependent on the ocean trade for survival. 90% of the world trade is taking place on oceans and Sri Lanka is situated in, which is termed as the most important ocean of the 21st century, the Indian Ocean. President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated in the 'Mahinda Chintahnaya 2005', that "I am determined to make our country the centre of the Asian silk route once again taking advantage of its unique geographical location" This clearly indicates the maritime affinity of the leader of the country which is a major contributory factor to become a great maritime power.

Maritime security can be defined as measures taken by owners, operators, administrators of vessels, port facilities and other maritime organizations to protect against terrorism, sabotage, stowaways, Illegal migrants, asylum seekers, piracy, armed robbery, smuggling, theft of vessels, against ships and port facilities. Sri Lanka had to battle with the LTTE, which was classified as the most ruthless terrorist organization, for nearly three decades. The LTTE targeted all commercial ports in the country and the shipping lanes. However, our ports were never closed and shipping lanes were always open for trade to continue.

Maritime terrorism is not a new phenomenon. There are a number of international conventions addressing specific acts of international terrorism. After the 9/11 attacks against the US targets, there was a renewed focus on Maritime terrorism. The possibility of a terrorist group using a ship to carry a weapon of mass destruction and exploding in a port was considered and a new security regime called the International Ships and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) was introduced by the International Maritime Organization in 2004 with the aim of detecting and deterring acts of terrorism.

The Sri Lanka Navy was entrusted with guarding the nation's ports since 2000, and the implementation of the ISPS Code was also entrusted to the navy. The Commander of the Navy was appointed as the Designated Authority and Port Facility Security Officers were appointed as per the code. All ports in Sri Lanka achieved ISPS compliance even before the deadline of July 1 2004 and gained the confidence of the international shipping community as a safe trading destination, which kept the economy of the country going. The ISPS code with the proposed amendments helps enhance maritime security and facilitates international trade.