IAPH Pushes for Review of ISPS Code After Two Decades in Force

The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is leading a port sector effort to review the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), two decades after its introduction. The initiative includes a global survey, submissions to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and high-level discussions held on November 5 at the IAPH World Ports Conference in London, with more than 700 delegates from 70 countries. IAPH, which brings together around 400 members among ports and related companies, argues that there are grounds to update the code's guidelines so that they reflect modern port operations and strengthen cooperation among key stakeholders.

The survey, conducted between August and September 2026, received 181 responses from port authorities, terminal and facility operators, governments and other maritime stakeholders. According to IAPH and Port Technology, respondents on average rated the effectiveness of the current ISPS framework below 50 percent, while Ports News Russia reported that the average score was 42.15 out of 100 points, based on 132 responses. When identifying the main weaknesses, cybersecurity and digitalization were cited by 83 percent of participants, well above all other categories, followed by emerging technologies and automation, mentioned by 57 percent.

According to details released by Ports News Russia, other weaknesses cited included waterside security (40 percent), emerging threats (38 percent), autonomous systems (37 percent) and organized crime (36 percent), along with concerns about drones, artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure and interference with navigation. Eighty percent of respondents backed mandatory security audits, and around three-quarters supported a more risk-based approach, although costs (68 percent), training (59 percent) and staffing (52 percent) were cited as obstacles. Among those who expressed a reform preference, 24 percent favored targeted amendments, 23 percent a comprehensive review, 21 percent additional guidelines, and only 5 percent a complete replacement of the code.

IAPH, together with the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA) and the International Harbour Masters Association (IHMA), submitted the survey results to the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 112), which will meet from December 14 to 18. The association also backs proposal MSC 112/14/11, put forward by several countries, which seeks to amend the 2003 ILO/IMO Code of Practice on Security in Ports to strengthen maritime security and implementation of the ISPS Code. The process originated from a proposal by the United States at the 111th session of the Maritime Safety Committee, which asked member states and the IMO to consider additional security measures within the ISPS Code to address transnational organized crime.

At the London conference, Chloe Rowland, IAPH Senior Manager for Data Collaboration, Risk and Resilience, moderated a panel titled 'Is It Time to Review the ISPS Code?', featuring Jeremy Greenwood, Head of the Maritime Security Section at the IMO; Timothy Brown, Chief of the Assessment and Standards Development Division at the US Coast Guard; and Peter Van Parys, Chief Operating Officer of North Sea Port and Chair of the IAPH Risk and Resilience Committee. The panel agreed that the ISPS Code remains an essential foundation for maritime security, but that the environment in which it operates has changed significantly, and that ports should continue supporting a regulatory-level assessment of the code given its critical role in supply chain security.