New Page 1

HOST MEMBERSHIP MEETING

October 20, 2005

Bill presented this initially to the Area Maritime Security Committee participating agencies that would make up a Unified Command in a cruise ship security incident.

Hawaii Maritime Industry Objectives. To ensure that our marine transportation system provided, maintained and protected, that facilitate the efficient movement of people and goods throughout our Hawaii ports.

Cruise ships due to their high profile are an attractive target. The cruise ships industry maintains as one of their highest priority, cruise ship security. They are inherently secure due to their design. All of the cruise lines work together through associations to standardize security measures. Access control for personnel and provision is basic. Both the port and shipboard security is employed to provide security in a manner that is nearly invisible to the passengers.

Globally the cruise ship industry is the largest growing venture in the leisure industry. In Honolulu in 2004 over 700,000 passengers were processed. In all of the neighbor islands that figure is over 1,000,000.

The current focus for improved security is assessment based. We are asking ourselves “What are the port vulnerabilities?”, and “What can we do to improve security in these areas?”. Ships generally operate at near MARSEC Level 2 on a continuing basis. Improvements in access control including improved ID credentialing have been implemented industry wide. They are also providing improved. We are also improving security screening systems and technologies. They are conducting both internal security exercises as well as multi-agency exercises. Lessons learned from these exercises are now part of standard operating procedures. They are actively partnering with outside agencies and are a part of a community based response capability.

By May of 2006 there will be four Hawaii based cruise ships. In 2006 the will be approximately81 port calls to Hawaii harbors. Other activities such as oil shipments, dry cargo shipments and even sugar are all putting pressure on the limited berthing capability in the harbors of our State. Hopefully we will see some improvements to harbor infrastructure soon. In 2006 Nawiliwili will have a cruise ship in port 7 days a week after the arrival of the “Pride of Hawaii”.

LCDR Rick Raksnis asked whether the sharing of information could be shared with the broader community. This type of information is Sensitive Security Information and a balance must be struck between maintaining security and sharing lessons learned. The FBI has been generous with community sharing particularly when it comes to techniques to identify suicide bombers.

In the past several USCG commands had established community based information gathering and awareness efforts. Best practices were gathered in how to recognize and share what constitutes suspicious activities. The USCG has now taken ownership of this effort and is implementing this nationwide. The idea is to get the word out to the community at large and form partnerships within the recreational, industrial and public sectors and encourage them to be vigilant. If they see something suspicious they should call 1-877-24watch. Also, they have brochures and personnel to go out and meet with the public so if you know of any group or entity that they can speak to please let them know. This is similar to a “neighborhood watch” program for the maritime environment.

Please don’t hesitate to call in. Often what you may consider as insignificant can be pieced together with a series of reports that could lead to recognition of larger patterns.

Robin introduced the movie “Sharing the Bay” which was produced by the San Francisco Bay Harbor Safety Committee in conjunction with the USCG. The main theme of the movie is the different types of vessel traffic operating within the San Francisco Bay area and the navigational restrictions that limit large vessel traffic maneuvers. Means of communication and vessel traffic control are presented for the average recreational boater. They have volunteered to assist Hawaii ’s HOST if we think that producing something like this would be beneficial for Hawaii . The general consensus was that something like this may be beneficial as an educational tool for conflicting harbor uses and the ramifications that are a challenge in Hawaii ’s congested harbors.

2005 Harbor Fest will be held on Sunday, November 6, 2005 . For the first time in two years Harbor tours will be conducted again. It will be a combination of activities at the Aloha Tower complex as well as tours of the harbor.