In response to projected threats to ships and port facilities in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) was created. It is a comprehensive collection of procedures to improve the security of ships and port facilities. The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, chapter XI-2 Special measures to enhance maritime security, implements the ISPS Code. A required section and a recommendatory section make up the Code.
In essence, the Code adopts the viewpoint that guaranteeing the security of ships and port facilities is a risk management activity and that it is necessary to assess the risks in each specific situation in order to decide what security measures are acceptable. Through the selection of suitable security levels and accompanying security measures, the Code aims to give Governments a standardized, consistent framework for evaluating risk that will enable them to balance changes in threat with changes in vulnerability for ships and port infrastructure.