Sri Lanka is the latest country to receive IMO support in developing maritime security legislation. A workshop run by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in consultation with IMO, in Colombo, Sri Lanka (28-30 August) gathered policy makers, criminal justice officials, legal advisors and security officials of the port and maritime authorities, as well as relevant ministries.
The meeting provided a basis for inter-agency dialogue on challenges and priorities regarding international requirements, including the maritime security measures under IMO’s SOLAS chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code. IMO’s Tracy Peverett and Henrik Madsen led sessions on the two instruments and how best to implement them as well as information on related technical assistance available to IMO Member States.
Sri Lanka is the third country to benefit from this series of workshops in South-East Asia, following similar events in the Maldives and Bangladesh in July 2018. Both IMO and UNODC are participating entities of the UN Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force. The workshops are part of a project strengthening capacity to implement maritime counter terrorism instruments in South-East Asia.