VZCZCXRO2452
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBM #0816/01 2971359
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231359Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8803
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 1117
RHEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BUCHAREST 000816 
 
STATE FOR EUR/CE- ASCHIEBE 
ALSO FOR EUR/PGI- NMANRING 
 
THE HAGUE, PLEASE PASS TO RJONES AND WKASTEN, IPSLO ROTTERDAM 
DHS PLEASE PASS TO USCG, IPSLO PROGRAM 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT ECON RO
SUBJECT:  ROMANIA: NO SURPRISES ON ISPS PRE-INSPECTION VISIT 
 
REF: BUCHAREST 796 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified, Not for Internet Distribution. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  EconOff visited ports in Constanta and Galati 
together with visiting International Port Security Liaison Officers, 
LtCmdrs Radiah Jones and William Kasten, who were in Romania for an 
orientation visit between October 6th and 10th.  Both ports are busy 
and profitable, with Constanta already preparing for the future 
through additional expansions.  Galati is also ready to respond if 
the Danube River starts to become a major transportation artery. 
The visit revealed no major deficiencies at any of the visited port 
facilities with regard to the International Ship and Port Security 
(ISPS) code.  On a working level, law enforcement cooperation is 
taking place among the Black Sea littoral states.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In Constanta, meetings were held with the Romanian Naval 
Authority and Constantza Port.  Constantza Port is a government 
owned, but independently operated, port.  With 178 berths, it is the 
largest container hub on the Black Sea and had a throughput of 57.8 
million tons in 2007.  It is also on track to expand further, with 
additional berths opening up to the south of the main port. At the 
time of the visit, several ships were anchored just off shore 
waiting for berths.  According to the Harbor Master, current 
capacity constraints sometimes necessitate waits of up to 72 hours. 
The port itself has facilities to accommodate both passengers and 
cargo, and the port operators were pleased to show off their new 
state-of-the-art passenger terminal.  Other facilities in Constanta 
include Midia Port, 25 km to the north and Mangalia located 38 km to 
the south.  Mangalia services small boats (up to 10,000 DWT) and 
pleasure craft, while Midia primarily services the nearby Rompetrol 
Petrochemicals facility.  Our interlocutors emphasized that an 
expanded South Port is necessary to accommodate the future expected 
growth of the port, which is already one of the largest in Europe. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In Galati, the team visited Romportmet, a facility owned 
by Arcelor Mittal, which imports and exports materials for the 
Arcelor Mittal plant in Galati.  Several barges were lined up on the 
Danube River, offloading coal and ore, while steel plates and rolled 
steel were waiting to be exported.  Surprisingly, one barge 
contained coal imported from the U.S., as the quality of this coal 
is seen as much higher than that available from other countries in 
the region, and is crucial for the formation of certain types of 
high quality steel.  According to the Harbor Master, Galati as well 
as the subordinate ports of Braila and Tulcea, are ready to expand, 
if necessary, to accommodate increased traffic on the Danube. 
Already an active shipment point, there are 122 berths scattered 
among the three facilities. The ports also host rail connections, 
storage facilities, grain silos, cereal terminals, a container 
terminal, a passenger terminal, and an oil terminal.  All three 
ports receive and inspect international cargo destined for both 
Romania and other parts of the EU.  If the Danube River becomes an 
increasingly important shipment route through Romania (reftel), 
Galati will have an expanded role to play in managing cargo passing 
between the Danube and the Black Sea. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Border Guards play an integral role in both ports, 
functioning as the equivalent of both U.S. Border Patrol and the 
Coast Guard.  They inspect vessels in both ports, in conjunction 
with the Customs Service and Veterinary Service.  In connection with 
the Romanian Navy, the Border Guards have an active surveillance 
system in place at both Ports, and they would be the de facto lead 
agency in responding to a threat at either port.  At this time, the 
main concerns are illegal migration and interdicting contraband, 
such as illegal cigarettes.  At the time of the visit to Constanta, 
a naval officer was temporarily posted in the Border Guard's Command 
center, where he was training Border Guards on how to access and use 
the various military sensors deployed around the port.  From the 
command center, the Border Guards also have direct access to a 
database which allows law enforcement information sharing among the 
Black Sea Littoral states.  In response to EconOff's question, the 
Border Guards indicated that they work closely with Ukraine, Turkey, 
Georgia, Russia, and Bulgaria on maritime issues, especially those 
dealing with law enforcement cooperation.  Particularly surprising 
was their mention of regular joint operations with Ukraine, which 
are taking place despite the ongoing border delimitation dispute 
between the two countries. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Comment.  The port operators in both Constanta and Galati 
appear professional, and both ports are growing and profitable.  On 
paper, port security plans are in place and both the Ministry of 
Transport and the various port authorities appeared eager to 
cooperate with the ISPS program.  However, the coordination 
mechanisms have never been put to the test, and there are sometimes 
 
BUCHAREST 00000816  002 OF 002 
 
 
unclear lines of authority as to who would actually coordinate the 
response to a major security incident in a Romanian maritime port, a 
subject that the next inspection team may wish to explore further. 
On a positive note, officials at both ports recognize the importance 
of the Black Sea, and that cooperation among the littoral states 
makes sense, both as a business, and as a means to ensure regional 
security.  End Comment.