Key executives from Western Hemisphere industry and government organizations, shipping lines, the cruise industry and leading port authorities will be attending SecurePort 2005 to speak with invited providers of IT systems, security, logistics, training, and marine equipment and services in order to, assure the highest standards in international maritime security standards.

Following the successful SecurePort 2004 conference that welcomed over 400 delegates from 38 countries, this new edition provides another critical platform to focus on issues in port and maritime security.

This year, SecurePort 2005 will focus on the current issues of concern to the commercial sector. SecurePort 2005 will tackle a variety of critical port and maritime security subjects:

• Customs and Supply Chain Security (CSI, C-TPAT)
• Port Security Grants and Other Funding Mechanisms
• U.S. Coast Guard Port and Maritime Security Regulations and Programs
• Security Interface Between Ports and Vessels
• Cruise Shipping Security
• Legal Ramifications of Security Compliance

The conference program will include an update on the status of compliance with the International Maritime Organization’s ISPS Code and issues arising from it.

At SecurePort 2004, the OAS Inter-American Committee on Ports adopted the Strategic Framework for Inter-American Port Security Cooperation. US Department of Transportation Under Secretary Jeffrey Shane called the Strategic Framework an “impressive product…that establishes the basis for enhancing our capacity to move goods and people throughout the hemisphere while improving security cooperation…” Building on this Strategic Framework, which calls for Government/Private Sector cooperation, the Chairman of the OAS TAG on Port Security will lead a panel of government and industry leaders in a discussion regarding its implementation.