THE ABIDJAN PORT AUTHORITY TESTED ITS INTERNAL OPERATION PLAN (IOP)

Sécurité maritime Friday 27 September 2024

 

As part of the sound test of Internal Operation Plan, Abidjan Port Authority conducted, on 25 July 2024, a full scale security test which took place at the Fishing Terminal.

This exercise meets the requirements for the implementation of ISPS Code preventive actions, the international security and safety standards for Port facilities.

The simulation has been carried out under the supervision of the Direction of Maritime Operations, Security and Environment of PAA, with the involvement of many actors, namely PAA’s firemen; the Permanent Secretariat of Côte d’Ivoire’s Council for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (SPCIC-CI); CIAPOL, the Customs, Abidjan Terminal, GESTOCI, the Group of military firefighters, SIR,the Gendarmerie, Abidjan Port’s Special Police Force,

Ivoire Sûreté Portuaire, SAMU, PAA's medical teams and SEMPA etc.

 

The scenario was focused on a toxic gas leak - ammonia, from the hold of a ship in operation along the quayside of the Fishing Terminal, followed by a fire outbreak in an equipment room of the Harbour Master's building, which is a special infrastructure of Abidjan Port.

For two clock hours, the stakeholders mobilized considerable material and human resources to fight against the two disasters in order to contain them by making a point of preserving the integrity of people and property.

Thus the Abidjan Port's actors have been able to test their abilities to cope efficiently with such risks through the functioning of the crisis unit (DOI), the coordination of actions in the theater of operations, the symbiosis between the different stakeholders and the management of the communication crisis.

The test also enabled to assess the quality of equipment for the control of pollution by toxic chemicals and fires.

 

During the debriefing session which concluded the exercice, all the stakeholders were unanimous on the smooth running of operations, not without noting the aspects to improve.

Note that each year the Port Authority organizes two simulations of this type to test the efficiency of the internal Operation Plan.