This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ANKARA 004811
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EB/TRA/OTP AND EUR/SE
PARIS FOR TSA AND ECON
DHS FOR COAST GUARD/MARITIME SECURITY - CRD LOSCIUTO
DEPT PASS TRANSPORTATION DEPT
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EWWT PTER ETRD PREL TU
SUBJECT: GOT Confirms Completion of Most ISPS Port
Assessments/Plans
Ref: (A) State 176649 (B) State 173908 (C) Ankara 4574
(C) Oliverie/Haywood Email 8/18/04
Sensitive But Unclassified. Please Handle Accordingly.
1. (U) This cable contains an action request in para 4.
2. (U) Econoff delivered revised demarche (ref A) to the
Turkish Maritime Administration advising that countries,
including Turkey, which have reported less than full
compliance with the International Convention for the
Safety of Life at Sea's (SOLAS) International Ship and
Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) will be included in a
U.S. Port Security Advisory and requesting further
information on Turkish implementation of ISPS
requirements.
3. (U) Okay Kilic, Head of the Maritime Security
Department of the Maritime Administration, confirmed
that Turkey has approved security assessments on all/all
154 port facilities and has approved port security plans
for 111 of these ports. These include Turkey's major
ports servicing trade with the United States and third
countries. Kilic said that for 130 ports, this data has
been reported to the International Maritime
Organization's (IMO), but that Turkey has not yet been
able to report its work on some other ports which do not
have identification numbers. We have requested an
updated list of port security assessments/plans from the
Maritime Administration.
Action Request
--------------
4. (SBU) Ref D information, which reports that some 85
percent of Turkey's ports are not ISPS-compliant, is at
odds with information reported by the GOT. Given that
major Turkish ports shipping goods to the United States
apparently comply with ISPS requirements, Embassy
requests that Coast Guard and EB evaluate carefully the
information available prior to including Turkey in any
advisory on this issue. We urge that the timing of the
advisory be reconsidered to allow us to work bilaterally
to encourage Turkey's full compliance with the ISPS. We
also request press guidance, in the event that Turkey is
included in a Coast Guard advisory.
Edelman