Enhancing Maritime Security in the Dominican Republic
A table-top exercise on maritime security has been held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, (1-2 December) to assist the country to effectively implement provisions that fall within the scope of International Maritime Organization (IMO) maritime security measures, including SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the International ship and Port Facilities Security (ISPS) Code and the SUA treaties.
Organized by IMO in collaboration with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), the exercise aims to stimulate discussions and demonstrate the need for cooperation amongst government departments and agencies using a range of evolving scenarios related to maritime security and maritime law enforcement issues.
Scenarios covered included threats to cruise ships, border security issues involving ports, airports and land border crossings, incidents potentially involving weapons of mass destruction, security-related health crisis, environmental threats such as oil spills, maritime safety inspections and dealing with illicit drugs' consignments.
The exercise follows a series of similar events in other countries in the Caribbean region, conducted by IMO and UNLIREC. IMO was represented by Javier Yasnikouski and a team of consultants.