With Y2K having passed without incident for the world’s ports, IAPH looked to the new century with optimism, reflected in the playful theme of its 22nd conference: 2001: A Maritime Odyssey. Held in May, the conference returned to Montreal for the first time in three decades. Forward-looking topics on the agenda included ‘the World Economy at the Dawn of the Third Millennium’ yet, less than four months later, any preconceptions about the future were upended by the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. The response from the maritime sector was swift: the IMO launched comprehensive measures to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts at sea, including amending conventions, convening specialized conferences, and establishing dedicated working groups. Ports were seen as potential areas of vulnerability and port authorities as key stakeholders. In December 2001, a letter was sent from the IMO secretary general to his counterpart at the IAPH, requesting cooperation on counter-terrorism measures. A year later, Special Measures to Enhance Maritime Security were adopted into SOLAS with major implications for ports from July 2004 onwards, under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) Code. These included security assessments for port facilities, the implementation of Port Facility Security Plans and the strengthening of port facility security, including access control and installation of surveillance equipment. IAPH’s support for these sweeping changes (and its membership of a World Customs Organization Task Force on Security and Facilitation) were reported at the 2003 conference – the first ever IAPH conference to be held on the African continent. Despite the impact of SARS, the Durban event, held May 26-30, was well attended by a hard-working but united group of port professionals. In an age of renewed uncertainty, IAPH looked both to the future (with conference proceedings provided on CD-ROM for the first time) and to the past – as its 50th anniversary loomed.
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra performs in Notre-Dame Basilica during the opening ceremony of the 2001 IAPH conference
