The United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Savannah is hosting four members of the Liberia Maritime Authority as part of the Coast Guard-sponsored International Port Security program, intended to create a consistent security program for all U.S. ports, Wednesday through Friday.
The delegates are touring the Savannah-based Customs and Border Protection unit, Georgia Ports Authority’s Ocean terminal, East Coast terminal, Vopak terminal and Liberty terminal as part of their second U.S. reciprocal visit under the IPS program.
“Anytime we are able to host our counterparts from foreign maritime trading nations is an awesome opportunity and is not to be missed,” said CDR Kailie Benson, executive officer of Marine Safety Unit Savannah. “Strengthening the security of our global supply chain is what this reciprocal program is all about and we will continue to support it whenever we can.”
Reciprocal visits create opportunities for government and port industry representatives from the 150 international participant countries to witness how U.S. ports meet security standards and allow both parties to learn from each other.
After initial briefs at Coast Guard Headquarters, Coast Guard and Savannah-based CBP members provided real-world examples of local industry by implementing several security programs.
MSU Savannah has hosted similar delegations from Tanzania, Georgia, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and most recently Gabon over the past two years. The visits are intended to strengthen the Coast Guard’s relationships with international maritime trading partners.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, March 8, 2013; Image: USCG