US embassy cable - 04ANKARA4811

UNCLAS ANKARA 004811 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB/TRA/OTP AND EUR/SE 
PARIS FOR TSA AND ECON 
DHS FOR COAST GUARD/MARITIME SECURITY - CRD LOSCIUTO 
DEPT PASS TRANSPORTATION DEPT 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT, PTER, ETRD, PREL, TU 
SUBJECT:  GOT Confirms Completion of Most ISPS Port 
Assessments/Plans 
 
Ref:  (A) State 176649 (B) State 173908 (C) Ankara 4574 
(C) Oliverie/Haywood Email 8/18/04 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified.  Please Handle Accordingly. 
 
1. (U) This cable contains an action request in para 4. 
 
2. (U) Econoff delivered revised demarche (ref A) to the 
Turkish Maritime Administration advising that countries, 
including Turkey, which have reported less than full 
compliance with the International Convention for the 
Safety of Life at Sea's (SOLAS) International Ship and 
Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) will be included in a 
U.S. Port Security Advisory and requesting further 
information on Turkish implementation of ISPS 
requirements. 
 
3. (U) Okay Kilic, Head of the Maritime Security 
Department of the Maritime Administration, confirmed 
that Turkey has approved security assessments on all/all 
154 port facilities and has approved port security plans 
for 111 of these ports.  These include Turkey's major 
ports servicing trade with the United States and third 
countries.  Kilic said that for 130 ports, this data has 
been reported to the International Maritime 
Organization's (IMO), but that Turkey has not yet been 
able to report its work on some other ports which do not 
have identification numbers.  We have requested an 
updated list of port security assessments/plans from the 
Maritime Administration. 
 
Action Request 
-------------- 
 
4. (SBU) Ref D information, which reports that some 85 
percent of Turkey's ports are not ISPS-compliant, is at 
odds with information reported by the GOT.  Given that 
major Turkish ports shipping goods to the United States 
apparently comply with ISPS requirements, Embassy 
requests that Coast Guard and EB evaluate carefully the 
information available prior to including Turkey in any 
advisory on this issue.  We urge that the timing of the 
advisory be reconsidered to allow us to work bilaterally 
to encourage Turkey's full compliance with the ISPS.  We 
also request press guidance, in the event that Turkey is 
included in a Coast Guard advisory. 
 
Edelman