The European Commission has invited bids from interested firms for conducting a study on cruise ship security, in an attempt to boost security requirements for cruise ships.
The call for tender follows after the Commission found that cruise ships and cruise terminals could be potential targets for terrorists, creating serious repurcussions.
The study will be based on a representative sample of cruise lines from those operating and managing the larger cruise ships to luxury yachts and of cruise terminals in the ports of call, and the ports of embarkation of passengers.
According to the tender, the study’s focus would be to provide a comparative analysis of the security requirements for cruise ships when operating in the Caribbean region and Europe, and will analyse responsibility sharing between the cruise ship and port facility in at least 20 significant cruise ports.
Additional areas to be covered by the study include identification of potential vulnerabilities due to risk assessments by the cruise operators and the extent of practical implementation of security measures to lower potential risks.
DG MOVE – Directorate A Policy Coordination and Security, Unit 4 Land and Maritime Security will be responsible for the tender. An indicative list of cruise ports has been published by the commission, which could constitute the object of the study.
The call for tender will end on 30 July and the contract will be for a period of 18 months from its award date.
Image: The Port of Cork is the only port in Ireland with a dedicated cruise berth in Cobh. Photo: courtesy of European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO).
