Crisis Management Exercise on Port Security held in Colombia

The Port Security Assistance Partnership of the CICTE Secretariat organized a Crisis Management Exercise (CME) on Port Security in Bogotá, Colombia, on February 21-22, 2008, in collaboration with the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Maritime Secretariat (Dirección Marítima de Colombia – DIMAR).

The US Coast Guard and Transport Canada, together with instructors from Argentina and Uruguay, provided the technical assistance in design of the scenario and conduction of the CME. Representatives of Ecuador and Peru attended as observers. The exercise was implemented as a tabletop exercise. The overall aim of the exercise was to assist Colombia in effectively assessing the complex and multifaceted nature of the response capacities and mandates of each of the actors involved in a crisis situation at port facilities and to encourage discussions that would address eventual vulnerabilities in security plans.

To effectively review the Port Security processes and procedures at the various levels of strategic, political and tactical-operative decision making, two simulated committees were established. The strategic issues related to the exercise were dealt with in the committee of Bogotá, whereas the tactical ones were dealt with in parallel in the committee of the Port of Buenaventura. A videoconference during the exercise ensured full communication between both simulated committees.

In this series of CMEs, which started with the one undertaken in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last September, the next exercise will take place in Peru in the springtime.

For more information, contact the manager assigned to the program