Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour and a pleasure for me to join this event, and I wish to express my sincere appreciation for being invited to speak to this distinguished gathering. It is an excellent initiative from Women's International Shipping & Trading Association to arrange this conference.

Shipping has traditionally been a male dominated area. Our Government wishes to stimulate women to participate in such areas, therefore it is a great pleasure for me to see that women are engaged in trading and shipping-related work.

Traditionally, both on national and international level, the work to improve the quality of maritime transport has been concentrated to enhance safety of life at sea and to prevent and control marine pollution from ships. Goals which we sum up in a mission statement of “safer seas and cleaner oceans.”

However in the wake of the tragic events of 11 ^th> September in the United States of America, a new breed of international terrorism shocked the world. The terrible consequences of 11th September brought a new dimension; along with safer and cleaner oceans, maritime security was put on the agenda. Maritime security has now a higher profile than ever and is on top of the priority list.

In the immediate aftermath of September 11 ^th> it was clear from the tactics employed by the terrorists that some types of ships were potentially at high risk both as targets and as weapons. It was highly essential therefore to make rapid assessment of the exposure of the shipping industry and to initiate whatever measures were considered necessary to deal with the situation.

Considering the geographical position of our country, Norway has always been dependent on the sea and seafaring. Being one of the largest shipping countries in the world, we are fully aware of our obligations and responsibility for helping to prevent acts of terrorism, which threaten the security of passengers, crews and the safety of ships.

In this connection I would like to mention that most of the Norwegian merchant fleet is engaged in crosstrades, and rarely calls at Norwegian ports. Security measures taken in foreign ports can therefore have a significant impact on Norwegian shipping interests.

Since September 11 ^th> we have witnessed a growing recognition all over the world that global threats must be dealt with globally. A broad co-operation between all nations is absolutely vital and necessary. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work done in IMO. In November last year a resolution was put before the IMO Assembly, which was adopted unanimously. The resolution called for a review of the existing international legal and technical measures to prevent and suppress terrorist acts against ships at sea and in port and improve security aboard and ashore. The aim is to reduce risks to passengers, crews and port personnel on board ships and in port areas and to the vessels and their cargoes. The Assembly also agreed to hold a Diplomatic Conference on Maritime Security in December 2002.

Several meetings on maritime security have taken place in IMO throughout the year to prepare for the conference. The diplomatic conference on maritime security will consider any new or amended regulations to enhance ship and port security and thus reduce the possibility of shipping becoming a target of international terrorism. New regulations or amendments are most likely to come in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and a new Ship and Port Security Code. The new regime is comprehensive, but examples of the measures are, requirements for ship and port security plans, accelerated requirements for automatic identification systems on ships (AIS) and new control measures.

In addition to the SOLAS-amendments, other IMO conventions are considered changed, such as International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers and Convention for Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation. It is also important to remember that IMO is not the only international organisation addressing the issue. The ongoing work in ILO (International Labour Organisation) and WCO (World Customs Organisation) and OECD is also important to be aware of.

In addition to the ongoing work at international level, United States has put forward an extensive set of proposals for measures at national level. As a close allied to United States let me assure that Norway is fully committed to work and cooperate with the United States to strengthen maritime security and protection from the threat of international terrorism. It is important that the measures taken are practical and viable. I would also like to emphasise that the success of the international campaign against terrorism is vital. Unilateral measures which can hamper this important process should therefore be avoided. We hope that IMO in December will succeed in adopting viable and practical measures to improve security in shipping

Striking the right balance between protection against terrorism and the protection of free trade is indeed a daunting challenge. Norway has supported the process of new or amended regulation to IMO conventions to achieve this and will continue to do so in future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have put behind us a dramatic year. The very nature of shipping exposes its vulnerability to terrorist attack and it is essential that we do everything possible, both within IMO and in concert with others, to minimise the risks of ships being either the target or the means of perpetrating such outrages in the future and to prevent passengers, crews and port personnel from becoming the victims of terrorist attacks.

Thank you for your time and attention.