VZCZCXRO0699
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #0281/01 0851351
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261351Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9373
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000281 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT ETRD KHLS PTER ASEC MARR ECON CG
SUBJECT: U.S. COAST GUARD EXPECTED TO FIND DRC PORTS ISPS COMPLIANT 
 
REF: (A) KINSHASA 1084; 
 (B) STATE 125578; 
 (C) 08 KINSHASA 404 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) International Port 
Security Program conducted an Official Country Visit to the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) March 16-20 and found 
significant improvements in security at all port facilities.  The 
USCG delegation evaluated the security measures at the ports of 
Matadi, SOCOPE (Societe Congolaise de Peche), Boma, and Banana in 
order to make additional recommendations to the Government of the 
DRC (GDRC) and to determine whether the DRC has come back into 
compliance with International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) 
code.  The USCG Country Visit report has not yet been submitted, but 
the preliminary finding is that DRC ports have responded to all 
recommendations in the December 4, 2008 demarche (Refs A and B). 
This most welcome - and surprising -development is due to increased 
GDRC support to port authorities and to the continued hard work of 
Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOs).  End summary. 
 
U.S. COAST GUARD SEES IMPROVED PORT SECURITY 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) conducted its first Official 
Country Visit to the DRC since 2007 from March 16 through March 20. 
LCDR Matthew Colmer, head of the International Port Security Program 
delegation, was accompanied by Port Security Liaison Officer LCDR 
Mike Farrell and Port Security Specialist Thomas White.  The USCG 
delegation and econoff met with Ministry of Transportation and port 
authority officials, and visited the ports of Matadi, SOCOPE, Boma, 
and Banana in order to assess whether the DRC has implemented all of 
the recommendations necessary for International Ship and Port 
Facility Security (ISPS) code compliance. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The DRC has been on probationary status since 2007, and 
econoff delivered a demarche on December 4, 2008 (Refs A and B) 
which allowed only 90 days to come into compliance with the final 
USCG recommendations.  The possible consequence of non-compliance, 
determined by the USCG, is the re-issuance of a Port Security 
Advisory (PSA) that places restrictions on vessels that enter DRC 
ports and plan to subsequently visit U.S. ports.  The probationary 
status, as well as any potential PSA, affects the ports of Matadi, 
SOCOPE, SEP Congo, Boma, and Banana. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The USCG delegation found several improvements at all ports 
visited, including:  the completion of perimeter walls; improved 
access controls; management of truck and service vehicle traffic; 
and identification badge processes (Ref C).  The Port Director of 
the Congolese National Transport Agency (ONATRA), Umba di Malanda, 
and the Matadi Port Facility Security Officer, Medard Nsimba, have 
made the most significant improvements at the port of Matadi.  Dock 
workers there no longer un-stuff containers on the quay; there is a 
buffer zone between ships and the containers; and port authorities 
maintain well-controlled vehicle traffic lanes running parallel to 
the quay. 
 
¶5. (SBU) LCDR Colmer made some follow-up recommendations to each 
port, including: putting expiration dates on identification badges 
for all facilities; removing small bottlenecks in pedestrian 
traffic; sending the Boma and Banana PFSOs to formal PFSO training; 
and updating the DRC's port information listed on the International 
Maritime Organization's database.  Colmer also encouraged the DRC's 
participation in the West and Central Africa Port State Control 
Memorandum of Understanding (a.k.a. the Abuja MOU), and suggested 
that on-going port facility security plan assessments take into 
account planned changes to each facility. 
 
PORTS RECEIVE OVERDUE GDRC SUPPORT 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The USCG delegation met with Minister of Transportation 
Matthieu Mpita on March 16, and delivered an out-brief to the 
Minister on March 20.  On both occasions, Mpita said the GDRC took 
the USCG recommendations very seriously and that maritime security 
was of great importance to the government.  Mpita said he visited 
all three major ports in February in order to make sure the USCG 
Country Visit would go smoothly.  Mpita also sent his Maritime 
Advisor and the Ministry's Director of Maritime Waterways to 
accompany the delegation during their port visits.  Mpita's Chief of 
Staff, Enerst Ilang'ikwa Bonkanya, arranged a meeting on March 20 
with the CEO of ONATRA, Claude Pecune-Ponson, for the USCG to 
present all further recommendations to improve security at the 
ports.  During meetings with both Minister Mpita and the ONATRA CEO, 
the USCG delegation shared their views on the significant progress 
 
KINSHASA 00000281  002 OF 002 
 
 
they saw in each port.  Colmer said the next step would be an 
official USCG report that will be delivered to the Ministry of 
Transportation through Embassy Kinshasa in the next four to six 
weeks. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment:  The Coast Guard's positive evaluation gives a big 
boost to port operations in the DRC.  The ONATRA officials and PFSOs 
have been working diligently over the last two years to bring the 
DRC back into ISPS code compliance.  Lack of GDRC support and 
funding had, until recently, been the key impediment to their 
success.  The USCG delegation received high-level attention every 
step of the way during their visit, including courtesy calls on the 
Governor of the Bas-Congo province and the mayor of Boma.  The 
improvements in all ports were both remarkable and surprising, given 
the short 90-day timeframe and the historically short shrift the 
GDRC has given the issue of port security. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment cont'd:  The report of this visit, once approved by 
the USCG, will likely find that the GDRC adequately complied with 
all recommendations made in the December 4 demarche.  There will be 
a separate decision by the USCG, based largely on Colmer's Country 
Visit report, whether to find the DRC compliant with ISPS code.  The 
delivery of good progress reports on March 20 reinforced the idea 
that success with security measures is feasible, and encouraged the 
ONATRA and Ministry of Transportation officials to continue their 
hard work.  Declaring the DRC to be ISPS code compliant will be an 
important accomplishment for the GDRC and follows on the heels of 
other positive developments in the country, including the March 8 
victory of DRC's national soccer team at the Africa cup.  Although 
unrelated, these two accomplishments demonstrate that with hard 
work, the DRC can make progress.  We hope the advances in addressing 
security concerns in the DRC's ports will have a positive 
psychological impact and will spur those working in other sectors to 
reach higher.  End Comment. 
 
 
GARVELINK