Which code governs the security of ships at sea and in port under the ISPS umbrella?

• A. The SOLAS Security Appendix
• B. The ISPS Code
• C. The MARPOL Security Annex
• D. The ISM Code

Answer: (C)

The framework that governs security of ships at sea and in port under the ISPS umbrella is the ISPS Code. This code, part of SOLAS, establishes the worldwide minimum security requirements for ships and port facilities, including the designation of Security Officers, the development and verification of Ship Security Plans and Port Facility Security Plans, and the conduct of security drills and assessments. It provides the structured approach for recognizing threats, applying security levels, and coordinating actions between ships and ports to prevent or respond to security incidents.

MARPOL is the pollution prevention treaty, so a MARPOL Security Annex isn’t a recognized security instrument. The ISM Code focuses on safety management systems for ship operations, not ship or port security per se. A SOLAS Security Appendix isn’t the formal instrument for security requirements; the binding security framework is the ISPS Code embedded in SOLAS.