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Drill and Exercise
The core tasks of a Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP) and port security, in general, are to ensure preventive security against terrorism or threats and to be ready to respond appropriately. As required under ISPS Code Part B paragraphs 18.5 and 18.6, drills and exercises should be held regularly.
All aspects of these standard measures must be tested on a set time basis: quarterly and annually.
The Drill
Drills shall be carried out at appropriate intervals taking into account the types of operation of the port facility, port facility personnel changes, the type of ship the port facility is serving and other relevant circumstances.
Drills should be conducted at least every three months unless the specific circumstances dictate otherwise. These drills should test individual elements of the plan addressing specific security threats. These are usually organized by PFSO who are responsible for testing the effective implementation of PFSP. The port facility security officer must set the security drills at appropriate intervals. Drills may be defined as supervised activities that are used to test a single measure or procedure in the Port Facility Security Plan.
The Exercise
The exercises are more complex activities and test several measures & procedures at the same time. It may include the participation of port facility security officers and other relevant authorities should be carried out at least once each calendar year with no more than 18 months between the exercises.
To ensure effective implementation and coordination of security between different Port Facilities, the security personnel involved are required to participate in exercises with a minimum recommended interval. These exercises are usually planned and coordinated by the port authorities and conducted involving all or a large part of the port area.
During the exercises, it is also possible to test and evaluate the communications between the various bodies involved: ship, port facility, local and national authorities.
They may be:
- Full-scale or live;
- Tabletop simulation or seminar;
- Combined with other exercises organized by government agencies or port authorities to test emergency response or commerce resumption plans.
Mistakes are an opportunity to learn and do better next time.
Exercise Equal Performance
An international framework of rules and intelligence (ISPS Code) has been established within the maritime sector to set common and minimum security measures for ships and port facilities. All aspects of these common measures must be tested.
These recommendations point the way for ports and port facilities to learn the necessary practical skills, test the feasibility of their plans, and be ready for the moment that the plan has to be put into operation. These security drills are fundamental because they enable us to experience the importance of networks between people collaborating across the boundaries between levels and organizations.
Only with constant and continuous exercises and tests can the security organization be ready to respond. The prerequisite for this is that all personnel involved must have the necessary knowledge and resources, along with all essential and up-to-date information to respond to the security threat or incident. The best way to test awareness and competence is through drills and exercises.