The first Steering Committee Meeting (SCM) on Port Security and Safety of Navigation (PSP) organised by The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) was held on 19 and 20 January in Balaclava Mauritius. This conference had the participants from the beneficiary countries as well as the implementing partners of the PSP which allowed to reinforce the commitment of States, regional, international, and sectorial organisations dealing with port security and safety of navigation, which constitute major levers of socio-economic development for the region.
In addition to the agreement on a Ministerial Conference, the SCM recommended to enhance national level coordination to ensure consistency in all activities and promote the spirit of shared responsibility. The SCM also agreed that training activities will focus on theoretical and practical sessions in line with the action plan of the PSP and thus responding to the precise needs of the beneficiary countries. Moreover, regional information sharing mechanism and data exchange system on cargo and passengers are understood to be an important tool to improve ports safety and security and reinforce the regional maritime security architecture in the region. The SCM also agreed to a two-year extension to achieve expected results of the programme.
