Indonesia's container ports fall short of the stiff security standard required by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an official says.
Director General of Customs and Excise Anwar Suprijadi, who has received acclaim for leading a clean up of his corruption-riddled office, said the country's key Tanjung Priok international port in Jakarta was "unsafe" as security allowed unauthorized personnel to enter its compound.
"Anyone can enter as long as they pay the fee."
"All this time, the port has had huge signs saying it is a restricted area, but anyone can go inside," Anwar said.
The Tanjung Priok port accounts for 60 percent of Indonesia's export and import activities, or around five million containers a year.
Ideally, Anwar said, only people from port management, customs, immigration and quarantine offices are eligible to regularly enter international trade hubs.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, the IMO required that a new security code be implemented at all international ports in the world by July 1, 2004. The system is dubbed the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
A country's failure to enact the system may result in its exports being rejected by its destination countries.
The ISPS system requires that non-authorized personnel be denied access to international ports, and that authorized personnel, vehicles and goods undergo physical searches on entry.
However, street vendors and hawkers freely wander around in Tanjung Priok port.
The ISPS was designed as a risk-management strategy and the IMO does not claim it is a fail-safe deterrent against terrorist attacks. However, when properly enacted, it increases security awareness levels.
The Transportation Ministry is responsible for ensuring security at international ports, including that the ISPS system is fully implemented.
"The customs office, as a port stakeholder, is just suggesting the ministry improve its supervision. I am really afraid they will act too late to prevent an unwanted incident," Anwar said.
The ports are also plagued by attempts by numerous government agencies to inspect the safety and quality of imported goods.
There have been many incidents of port officials taking bribes from importers and exporters in exchange for waved security protocol.
There are at least 15 agencies with active presences at the country's international ports, including the Health Ministry, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, the Industry Ministry, the Forestry Ministry, the State Minister for the Environment's Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the Transportation Ministry, the Directorate General of Postal and Telecommunications, the Nuclear Supervision Agency, the National Police, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, the Directorate General of International Trade, the Drugs and Foods Monitoring Agency, the Agriculture Quarantine Agency and the Fish Quarantine Center.
Agency officials can freely enter the ports, and are even able to take with them friends and relatives.
Indonesia's key ports: 1. Tanjung Priok in Jakarta 2. Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, East Java 3. Tanjung Emas in Semarang, Central Java 4. Belawan port in Medan, North Sumatra 5. Pelabuhan Panjang port in Lampung 6. Makassar port in South Sulawesi
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