As a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a series of measures aimed at increasing protection in the event of terrorist acts against maritime transport. These measures were laid down in Resolution 1 of the Amendments to the SOLAS Convention and the ISPS Code (International Ship and Port Facility Security Code).
On 31 March 2004, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EC) No 725/2004, of 31 March 2004 on enhancing ship and port facility security. The maritime protection measures imposed by this regulation were only a small part of the actions required to reach an adequate degree of protection across transport chains with some maritime component.
In this regard, the regulation mentioned above restricted the scope of application of these protection measures to on board ship and to the immediate ship/port interface. After the Madrid (11 March 2004) and London bombings (July 2005), the EU realized that it was necessary to introduce additional protection measures and approved Directive 2005/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 26 October 2005, which calls for all Member States to introduce protection measures to all other port activities and is applicable to all ports that have at least one port facility regulated by Regulation 725/2004. Royal Decree 1617/2007, of 7 December, eventually transferred this directive to Spanish national law.
It is precisely within this normative framework that the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority has been working to equip all its ports with protection plans to ensure compliance of the aforementioned legal requirements. To this end, the port authority has specified the organization, methods and procedures needed to ensure the protection and safekeeping of passengers, crews, ground staff, ships and port facilities against illicit acts, thus preserving the efficiency of inter-island, national and international maritime traffic in its ports.
The efforts made by the port authority places Puertos de Tenerife in the front line in matters of protection on a nationwide basis, a situation which has been endorsed and acknowledged by both competent public authorities and the most prestigious shipping lines.