Aden: Minister of Transport stresses the importance of taking preventive measures to protect ports

Minister of Transport, Mohsen Al-Omari, stressed the importance of enhancing the readiness of port facilities to identify and assess risks, set priorities, and take appropriate preventive measures to ensure an effective response to incidents and emergencies, while maintaining the smooth flow of commercial and maritime traffic.

This came during the closing of a joint workshop for port facility security officers, designated authority officials, and port security committees, held today in the interim capital, Aden. The workshop was organized by the Regional Programme for Maritime Security in the Red Sea Area, funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Minister Al-Omari urged participants to apply the knowledge and information gained during the workshop into practical measures and procedures within ports and port facilities. He noted that the region's current circumstances and the security challenges in maritime corridors heighten the responsibility to protect our ports, ships, and sea lanes, ensure the continuity of trade and navigation, and prevent the use of port facilities for any illicit activities.

Minister Al-Omari praised the efforts of the IMO, the European Union, experts, consultants, and the Maritime Affairs Authority in organizing and ensuring the success of the workshop. He expressed hope that its outcomes would enhance the efficiency of national cadres, strengthen port facility security, improve inter-agency coordination, protect ports, ships, and seafarers, and support the security and safety of navigation in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab el-Mandeb.

For his part, the IMO representative for the Red Sea Project, Mustafa Abdelqader, explained that the workshop highlights the basic requirements for port facility security and enhances participants' understanding of the tasks and responsibilities associated with port security. He affirmed the organization's continued technical support and capacity-building for national cadres to ensure the development of the maritime security system and raise the readiness level in Yemeni ports.

Over five days, 30 participants representing the Maritime Affairs Authority, the port corporations of the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea, state security, the coast guard, immigration, customs, naval forces, refineries, and free zone security, received knowledge and information related to the concept of maritime security, threats to ships and ports, security levels, security assessments of port facilities and ships, security inspections, leading to the preparation and implementation of port facility security plans.