KARACHI, May 13: After the submission of Port Facilitation Security Arrangement (PFSA) by the stakeholders with the Director General Ports and Shipping on May 25, 2004 , Pakistan would be ready to meet the deadline of July 1, for the implementation of International Ships and Port Security (ISPS) Code laid down by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

This was stated by the director general, Ports and Shipping, Cap. Anwar Shah after presiding over a meeting of stakeholders convened by him on Wednesday at the KPT conference hall for the review of the ISPS implementation status.

Talking to Dawn the DG Ports and Shipping said: "We are ready to meet the July 1 deadline set by the IMO for the implementation of ISPS Code." He further said that IMO had already recognized that Pakistan was one of those 13 countries out of 164 that was taking this code seriously and set to meet the July 1 deadline.

The office of the Director General Ports and Shipping, being the designated authority for the implementation of ISPS code, he said, had taken the matter into hand in February this year. After taking stock of the situation it embarked upon the process of implementing the code.

In today's meeting, he said, all the stakeholders were asked to submit their PFSA by May 25, so that the office of DG Ports and Shipping could grant its final approval after assessing them and met the deadline.

The DG Port and Shipping was assisted by Director ISPS Code, Lt Col Javed Akhtar who pointed out that after the declaration of port facilities they had already nominated Recognized Security Organizations (RSOs) and even identified port facilities security arrangement plans.

He said that after the verification of PFSA by the RSOs the PFSA were returned for improvement and the last date for submission with the DG Ports and Shipping had been fixed as May 25. Therefore, Mr Akhtar said Pakistan could claim that it was ready to meet the IMO fixed deadline for the implementation of ISPS Code of July 1, 2004.

The DG Ports and Shipping said that after 9/11 sea and seafaring profession that once symbolized peace and tranquillity were not considered safe any more. Resultantly, IMO gathering in Nov 2001, unanimously agreed to develop new measures relating to enhancement of security for ships and port facilities.

The IMO asked all the member states to review their conventions to protect the transportation of the world trade by sea, which comprises over 90 per cent of other means.

In Nov 2002, in consultations with the member states a strategy in the form of International Ships and Port Security Code and SOLAS Amendments 2002 were formulated which is commonly known as ISPS Code.

Maritime security is now integral part of IMO's responsibilities. July 1, 2004, has been fixed for the promulgation of the code. Pakistan being a signatory to the convention and contracting government has to comply with the code.