Port security personnel go through practical sessions |27 June 2019

Security personnel working in Port Victoria were able to put into practice some of the techniques learned from training sessions on port security currently being held at the Seychelles Port Authority, New Port.

Following two days of theory sessions through power point presentations, the 38 delegates from the Seychelles Port Authority (SPA), the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG), the Anti-Narcotics Bureau (ANB), the Maritime and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and the Seychelles Maritime Safety Administration (SMSA) did some practical scenarios on vehicle and body search.

Divided into groups of three, they had a limit of three minutes as required to conduct basic identification of vehicle personnel and search of the vehicle as they normally do at the gate.

The training is being conducted by security specialists from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) based in the United States of America which is helping the SPA to close loopholes in security at Port Victoria.

This training has come after the United States Coast Guard (USCG) had requested SPA to improve its port security after listing it on an advisory list for being unsafe with a number of deficiencies in terms of anti-terrorism security which has resulted, as of April, on imposed conditions of entry on vessels arriving in US waters after having passed through the Seychelles port.

The aim of the training is to hike the port security to the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) standard thus easing the chance for Port Victoria to be struck off from the advisory list.

“We showed them hot spots where suspects can hide contrabands, drugs, weapons and also where humans can also hide as stowaways or as the case of human trafficking, on the various types of vehicles entering the port. So we just gave them another tool to add to their security list and also put them in a different mindset as sometimes the objects are not going to be in plain view and you just have to look a little bit in the hot spots to find them,” said physical security specialist, Commander Larron White, from NCIS Security Training Assessment Assistance Team (STAAT) of the United States Navy. He is one of the facilitators of the training.

Commander White noted that apart from providing searching tools, the delegates are also being taught how to process a person for arrest to be handed over to the police or ANB after contrabands or any other illegal activities have been spotted.

Two of the delegates – Andy Pierre and Lucianna André from SPA – said the training has been beneficial as it is boosting their knowledge and to be more attentive towards detail security surveillance – something they might have been a bit lenient on in their line of duty.

“We normally do all the security procedures that we are doing in this practical session today but we were not doing in depth to all the details especially in the different hot spots like in the engine. Now this will form part of our security procedures,” said Ms André who noted that with SPA having new manpower, security at the port will be at top level. She said she was very satisfied with the training.

On explaining security routine at the port, Mr Pierre said: “When you come to the port you either come on foot or by vehicle, so a person will have to identify him or herself, the reason for entering, declarations of personal items amid security procedures for search and verification of items or others not permitted in the port for persons in vehicles, before being allowed to enter.

“We want people to understand that the port is a restricted area and security for everyone is one of our main preoccupations. So we want people to understand when we are conducting our security procedures and to cooperate with us so that things can move smoothly,” said Ronny Alcindor, port facility security officer.

The International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) which came into force in 2004, prescribes responsibilities to governments, shipping companies, shipboard personnel, and port facility personnel to detect security threats and take preventative measures against security incidents affecting ships or port facilities used in international trade.

The training ends today.

The accompanying photos show some participants during the practical session yesterday.