A four-day workshop on how to best design and conduct maritime security drills and exercises, has been held in Kingston, Jamaica (13-16 March). The aim of the event was to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to plan, conduct and assess security drills and exercises in their port facilities, in accordance with the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
The workshop included live role-playing sessions with various communication equipment, with participants taking turns acting as "players" and "controllers" respectively. It demonstrated to practitioners how to make use of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Manual of Maritime Security Drills and Exercises for Port Facilities in their work. The newly learned activities will continue to help port facility security officers and personnel, as well as designated authority officials, to improve and test existing procedures and practices in order to maintain vigilance and security awareness in ports.