The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced that the ‘ISPS Code Security Level’ of Turkish flagged ships in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea has been increased to the highest level of 3.
In the statement made by the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, “Considering the latest developments in the north of the Black Sea, the ISPS Code Security Level has been increased to 3 for Turkish flagged vessels that will call at the Azov Seaports and the Black Sea ports of Ukraine and the Russian Federation and sail off these ports. Both Turkish flagged and Turkish-owned ships are monitored with our remote monitoring systems. It is important not to shut down the systems on the ships, to contact the Main Search and Rescue Coordination Center in case of emergency, and to follow the navigational warnings made by the relevant authorities in the region.”
“There were no negatives so far”
Emphasizing that the security of Turkish ships in the region is the priority, “We have 271 Turkish sailors on a total of 22 Turkish-owned ships, 7 of which are Turkish-flagged, at the ports in this region, and the safety of our ships in the region, especially our sailors, is our priority. In the negotiations with our ships, it has been confirmed that there is no negativity for now. According to the information received from our ships in the region, operations in Ukrainian ports have stopped, but handling activities continue in Russian ports.
What is security level 3?
The ship will comply with instructions issued by those responding to security incidents and threats, at security level 3. The SGP should detail the security measures taken by the ship in cooperation with the responders and the port facility. These may include,
1 – Limiting entry to a single, controlled entry point.
2 – Allow access only to those who will respond to security incidents or threats.
3 – Directing the crew on board.
4 – Temporarily suspending boarding and landing.
5 – Temporarily suspending cargo handling operations and deliveries.
6 – Abandonment of the ship.
7 – Displacement of the ship.
8 – Preparing the entire ship or certain areas to be searched.