BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LEADING disaster management experts in the Federation are at National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) headquarters for a three-day crisis management exercise aimed at strengthening port security arrangements.
A joint initiative of the OAS, US Coast Guard and Transport Canada, the workshop runs from March 3 to 5. Its 45 participants and observers include personnel from the Air and Sea Port Authority, Customs and Immigration, NEMA, related government ministries and the Defence Force and Coast Guard.
The workshop’s objective is twofold – firstly, to test the response capability of existing mechanisms in the event of an incident at sea, and secondly, to build human resource capacity in these areas.
“We have to strengthen the Federation’s current security arrangements in the event of an incident at a port facility to internationally accepted standards,” said NEMA Director Carl Herbert.
“The course facilitators will detect coordination shortcomings and difficulties in the decision-making process, and contribute to that process through discussions between relevant authorities on the duties and obligations of the government.”
He added that it is important for participating agencies to improve their coordination in preparation for impending disasters.
Minister of National Security and Immigration, Hon. Sam Condor highlighted the workshop’s significance in a post-sugar era as the nation was re-positioning itself towards becoming a premier tourist destination.
He said that terrorist acts such as September 11 and the recent incident on a Delta Airlines flight had shown that terrorism is an ill that every country, regardless of size, has to be wary of.
“Gone are the halcyon days to believe acts of terrorism only occurred in faraway places. These villains know no boundaries, invade all borders and continue to look for any opportunity to inflict fear and destruction.
“As a growing and developing nation, and with our thrust in the tourism industry, we are trying to see how many tourists we can attract by boat, sea and air. The likelihood of that only increases the possibility of us attracting undesirables. That is why we must continuously seek to enhance our security and safety measures,” Condor stressed.
Following the workshop, delegates will be tasked with preparing a report on the crisis management exercise and a port security improvement plan, which will be analysed and implemented by appropriate authorities at a later date.
