VZCZCXRO0302
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHMV #0249/01 0921622
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011622Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9900
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASH DC
RUEABND/DEA WASHDC
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000249 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W-PDAVIS, INR/AA BGRAVES 
 
E.O.12958:N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: PORT SECURITY REMAINS A PROBLEM IN MONROVIA 
 
REF: A. 07 MONROVIA 1293 
 ¶B. 07 MONROVIA 846 
 ¶C. 07 MONROVIA 627 
 ¶D. 07 MONROVIA 456 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Port Security remains deficient in Liberia and 
the Port of Monrovia is unlikely to reach compliance with the 
International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Ship and 
Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code anytime soon, but technical and 
financial assistance could accelerate the process.  Regional 
representatives from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) 
International Port Security (IPS) program discussed security 
shortcomings and requirements for ISPS code compliance with port, 
civil maritime and other government of Liberia (GOL) officials 
during a March 3-7 visit to Monrovia.  The visit highlighted the 
impact lax security had on shipping costs and commodity prices and 
noted measures that are required to bring Monrovia's port into 
compliance with ISPS code.  USAID is considering providing technical 
assistance to the National Port Authority (NPA) to develop an 
appropriate Port Facility Security Plan for ISPS compliance.  Even 
with external assistance focused on port security, full ISPS 
compliance is unlikely unless accompanied by a full overhaul of port 
management.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2.  (U) Visiting USCG International Port Security Liaison Officers 
(IPSLOs) Adam Shaw and Doug Schneider met March 3-7 with directors, 
managers and security officers from the NPA, GOL officials from the 
Bureau of Maritime Affairs (BMA), Liberia Reconstruction and 
Development Committee (LRDC), and Ministry of Transportation (MOT), 
and representatives from the United Nations Mission in Liberia 
(UNMIL), as well as representatives of shipping companies.  Shaw and 
Schneider explained to the Liberian counterparts (many of whom were 
new to their positions since the last USCG visit in March 2007) the 
impact that poor port security was having on shipping companies 
doing business in Liberia, particularly higher insurance rates and 
delays entering other ports of call where ISPS code is vigorously 
enforced.  They highlighted that the additional costs incurred by 
shippers are passed on to Liberian consumers in the form of higher 
commodity prices.  They also noted that shipping companies could not 
operate directly between Liberia and the United States because 
Monrovia's ISPS deficiencies required the USCG to conduct 
time-consuming and costly inspections of all vessels coming from 
Liberia.  (Note: Firestone Liberia maintains a self-contained 
ship-to-port interface at the Freeport of Monrovia that is ISPS 
compliant and the USCG has granted Firestone a waiver for its 
vessels traveling between Monrovia and the United States.  End 
note). 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Based on their discussions and a physical evaluation of 
the port, Shaw and Schneider observed only minimal progress on port 
security since the last USCG Assessment in March 2007.  The NPA was 
unable to provide the USCG team with a copy of the port's security 
strategy.  Shipping companies told the USCG that the port's ISPS 
unit often boarded ships with a "shopping list" of desired payoffs 
and containers still regularly disappeared out the back gate. 
Shippers noted that the day the USCG team arrived was the first time 
in months they had witnessed enforcement of gate entry and exit 
procedures.  The port does not have a patrol boat and the USCG 
witnessed swimmers entering port waters and approaching ships at 
berth.  The port has not completed any of the recommendations from 
the International Maritime Organization's "Self-Assessment" and 
nobody in the GOL was aware of the need to establish a Designated 
Authority (DA) outside the NPA to oversee ISPS compliance. 
 
¶4.  (U) Port and government officials expressed a desire to improve 
port security and requested guidance and assistance from the United 
States.  Shaw and Schneider emphasized that security upgrades need 
not require expensive equipment but rather a practical plan and 
vigilant enforcement.  They advised port management to focus on 
basic procedures and enforcement of existing rules and called on the 
government to take the legal measures necessary to establish a 
Designated Authority for ISPS.  Although the GOL is considering 
moving the BMA under the Ministry of Finance, this would not occur 
anytime soon and in the meantime the USCG opined that the BMA was 
the most appropriate seat for the ISPS DA, an authority that could 
likely be granted by Executive Order. 
 
¶5.  (U) USAID is considering a proposal to fund technical assistance 
to the NPA to enhance port security.  The USCG suggested that USAID 
fund advisory services that would assist the Port of Monrovia to 
conduct an assessment of its vulnerabilities, draft an appropriate 
security plan and provide ongoing training/monitoring of the port's 
ISPS unit.  At the national level, assistance in drafting the 
executive order to create a Designated Authority and provide 
adequate and appropriate training for the DA would be helpful.  Shaw 
said a USCG Training Assessment team is expected to visit Monrovia 
 
MONROVIA 00000249  002 OF 002 
 
 
soon to tailor a USCG-sponsored training mission to Liberia's needs. 
 Although the USCG emphasized that most of the necessary security 
enhancements were a function of planning and implementation rather 
than expenditure for additional hardware, they did note the need for 
some investment in communications equipment, lighting, and perimeter 
reinforcements, both at the central wharf and outlying piers where 
security lapses are even more pronounced. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Insecurity at the port is both dangerous and 
costly.  Enhanced port security will improve port efficiency, 
counter illegal trafficking, and help lower prices and facilitate 
trade.  The NPA lacks the capacity and focus to implement the 
measures necessary to bring port security into compliance with ISPS 
code.  Absent external assistance, improvements are unlikely anytime 
soon.  USAID efforts to start the Port of Monrovia on the path of 
ISPS compliance are welcome.  But any contribution to port security 
is unlikely to succeed in isolation and must be accompanied by 
continued port management reform the GOL committed to pursue in its 
December 2007 Memorandum of Understanding with the United States, 
World Bank and UNMIL.  END COMMENT. 
 
BOOTH