News

Tuesday 20 Jul 2021 Blog

PSA FACILITY UPDATED TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

The Port Facility Security Instructions issued April 2021 advises that all DPFSOs must now undertake a Port Facility Security Officers (PFSO) course.

PFSI April 2021

Additionally, Port facility personnel with specific security duties should conduct ISPS security training covering:

Knowledge of current security threats and patterns;
Recognition and detection of weapons, dangerous substances and devices;
Techniques used to circumvent security measures;
Security-related communications;
Operation of security equipment and systems;
Testing, calibration and maintenance of security equipment and systems as appropriate;
Methods of physical searches of persons, personal effects, baggage, vehicles, cargo and ships’ stores; and
Bomb threat assessment procedures.

with refresher training being undertaken after no longer than 18 months.

Monday 20 Jul 2020 Press Release

Covid-19 and Port Security

The PSA is operating fully and here to assist you with any queries or problems that may arise in these uncertain times

The PSA is operating fully and here to assist you with any queries or problems that may arise in these uncertain times. We remain in regular contact with the DfT Maritime Security & Resilience Division and will continue to advise all members on the latest updates from the government.

We recognise the uncertainty this global health issue is creating and wanted to make you fully aware that we are available should you need any advice or assistance during these unprecedented times.

If you have any questions/queries please don’t hesitate to contact us on admin@Impsa.org

Thursday 18 Jul 2019 Blog

Port Facility Security Officer Training

Department for Transport accredited training.

Recently accredited as a DfT training provider, the PSA delivered its first PFSO course on 29-31^st May 2019. Whilst there is a requirement to have a PFSO and DPFSO at each facility, this course gives facilities the opportunity to future proof their PFSO requirements and have enough suitably trained personnel to assist in all ISPS roles, with some authority and understanding. The course itself proved a success with all six delegates from various PSA facilities achieving the PFSO qualification.

PSA Members will receive this course free of charge. Delegates who may take up the PFSO role at some stage must be nominated by a PSA facility.

For further information or to book a delegate onto the next PFSO course 11^th-13^th November please contact any member of the PSA Team.

Friday 18 Jan 2019 Blog

Counter Terrorism Training

Free Counter Terrorism Training.

Liverpool and Manchester Port Security Authority is authorised to present NACTSO Counter Terrorism Training.

We welcome the opportunity to present basic Counter Terrorism Training to any of our facilities.

Please get in touch

Find out more information HERE

Advice for teaching the basics to 11-16 year olds HERE

Friday 11 Jan 2019 Blog

UK and allies reveal global scale of Chinese cyber campaign

Along with its allies, the UK has announced that a group known as APT 10 acted on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security to carry out a malicious cyber campaign targeting intellectual property and sensitive commercial data in Europe, Asia and the US.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre assesses that APT 10 was almost certainly responsible for a campaign of activity against global Managed Service Providers (MSPs) since at least 2016, widely known as Cloud Hopper. This targeted intellectual property and commercially sensitive information of the MSPs and their clients. It is highly likely that these accesses were used to engage in commercial espionage.

The NCSC assesses that it is highly likely that APT 10 has an enduring relationship with the Chinese Ministry of State Security, and operates to meet Chinese State requirements. Given the high confidence assessment and the broader context, the UK government has made the judgement that the Chinese Ministry of State Security was responsible.

This is the first time that the UK government has publicly named elements of the Chinese government as being responsible for a cyber campaign. It has previously attributed:

the WannaCry ransomware incident to North Korean actors;
a multi-year computer network exploitation campaign targeting universities around the world, including the UK, to the Mabna Institute based in Iran; and
a series of attacks including NotPetya, the WADA hack and leak and BadRabbit to the GRU (Russian Military Intelligence).

The NCSC published guidance to mitigate against this campaign targeting MSPs on 3 April 2017. This guidance is available here.

Thursday 10 Jan 2019 Press Release

Message from Martin Humphreys - Port Security Officer

New Port Security Officer appointed

At the PSA Directors meeting on 11^th July 2018, the previous Port Security Officer's resignation was formally accepted by the Board of Directors.

In accordance with the PSA Articles of Association, I was nominated and elected by the Board of Directors to take on the position of Port Security Officer, with immediate effect, pending approval from the Secretary of State.

Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dave for his involvement in setting up our PSA in the format that it has taken, for his hard work, direction and leadership in creating what is now considered nationally, to be the most progressive and forward thinking PSA in the UK.

I have been the Lead Security Compliance Officer since the inception of the PSA, and along with the rest of the team, I have been passionate in providing support to all PFSOs and Security Managers, at all our facilities. I believe that in the last 4 years we have come a long way in improving port security, a view shared by DfT. As the new PSO, I will ensure the PSA continue to offer worthwhile support to our membership in line with their security requirements and will introduce new initiatives as we move forward.

Mr Steve Christian, has been appointed as the new Lead Security Compliance Officer. He took up his post in September 2018. I look forward to working with Steve and the rest of the PSA team, to continue our work in supporting each facility, enhancing security around the ISPS Code in maintaining the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal as the most secure ports in the UK.

If there is any aspect of port security that you would like to discuss with me, any suggestions you have to improve our work and support, then please do not hesitate to contact me or the any member of the PSA team.

Martin

Martin Humphreys Port Security Officer

Wednesday 09 Jan 2019 Press Release

Online Safety videos from the Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police has produced five short videos on how to protect yourself online.

You can choose to view the videos with our without subtitles.

Please visit https://www.getsafeonline.org/metpolicevideos/ to view them.

Friday 04 Aug 2017 Press Release

Recent LMPSA Members

The Liverpool and Manchester Port Security Authority would like to welcome Gladstone Biomass Terminal and the Liverpool Steel and Metals Terminal as members.

The Gladstone Biomass Terminal receives in and delivers out over 3m tonnes of wooden pellets annually for our customer Drax. The pellets arrive from South America and are discharged at a rate of up to 2000 tonnes per hour and are stored in 3 silos. Trains are then loaded with 1650 tonnes of pellets and are sent to Drax power station in Selby, North Yorkshire with a target of 36 trains per week. The pellets provided to the power station create 8% of the UK powers supply.

The Liverpool Steel & Metals Terminal is located at North 3 Canada Dock, within the Port of Liverpool estate. It is the UK’s first fully automated steel terminal. The site can handle steel coils, rebar and most other bulk metal products. The interactive customer portal offers real-time order tracking from ship to door. The Steel & Metals Terminal is accredited to ISO9001, 14001 & 18001 standard.

Wednesday 24 May 2017 Press Release

Security information - Manchester Terrorist Attack

This briefing is in relation to the tragic events at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.

This event can be described as a game changer, a private venue run by private security with probably no police presence, a soft target involving young children.

This incident was declared a Terrorist incident and armed officers deployed to the scene accordingly.

The blast was caused by a single suicide bomber. More than 20 members of the public were killed. The suspect is also confirmed as dead. The majority of the victims are females, including an eight year old child. A large number of casualties with varying degrees of injury, some serious were identified with some still receiving treatment

The investigation continues, involving Counter Terrorist units across the country. To date there have been two arrests, one male was released shortly after arrest and another remains in custody.

At this early stage in the investigation it is unclear whether the perpetrator of this attack acted alone or if he is part of a wider group. As the investigation continues and we gain a better understanding of this we will be able to make a better assessment of any further threat or risk that may be posed. We will, of course, keep you updated as the investigation continues and any useful information comes to light which will help you to maintain and improve your protective security stance.

You will have seen reports of claims of responsibility from Daesh for this attack. Whilst we cannot confirm this at this time, it does come in the wake of continuing rhetoric from Daesh imploring their supporters to carry out attacks against targets which reflect our Western lifestyle. The use of improvised explosive devices has also been a favoured attack method of Daesh across Europe and, indeed, globally.

There has been an uplift in Policing including the deployment of additional armed officers and additional patrols at crowded places and transport hubs. All forces have been directed to review any significant events in the next 14 days and to increase the security footprint around those events where it is deemed appropriate.

Stakeholders are reminded that the threat level from international terrorists to the UK is at SEVERE, meaning an attack is highly likely. The Threat level to Britain from Northern Ireland related terrorism is at SUBSTANTIAL.

Crowded places remain the common denominator for terrorists and online rhetoric calling for targeted attacks. There is a need for vigilance and engagement between police and partners. Partners are asked to be mindful of previous advice and of the information that can be found on the NaCTSO website.

NaCTSO has provided detailed protective security advice for businesses, communities and the public; this is available from the NaCTSO website. The advice relates to:

Introduction to counter terrorism (A 20 minute self-delivery presentation containing three core counter terrorism messages for self-delivery. The content relates to hostile reconnaissance, suspicious behaviour and weapons and firearms attack)
Search planning
Evacuation, invacuation and lockdown
Preparedness, first aid kits and crisis incident kits
CCTV
Security culture
Reporting suspicious transactions around precursor materials that can be used in bomb making
Guidance for the public, businesses and laboratories on using, storing and selling explosives precursors and poisons
Good practice for security guards and those involved in delivery of security
The effects of blast and cordon distance

The attack in Manchester occurred at the end of the event when event organisers and staff traditionally focus on dispersal and clear up. Security, which may have been primarily deployed to manage the entry and delivery phases of the event, is deployed elsewhere or absent. Additionally event attendees will be focussing on their exit and homeward journey etc. These factors combine to make this phase potentially vulnerable to a range of attack methodologies. It reminds us of the need to consider the whole event lifecycle within an event security plan, particularly the risks to crowded places created within or adjacent to a venue in the post event phase. This is equally important to the night time economy venues or an office block where significant numbers leave together during rush hour.

It is appreciated that you have responsibility for the security of buildings and therefore a large number of people. It is important at times such as these that the police security stance and that of the private sector is joined up. To ensure that we are joined up, we are recommending that you consider some protective security tactics to aid your security at this time, whilst remembering that the threat level is at SEVERE meaning that an attack is likely – it is also expected that Military Personnel will be deployed to assist Policing operations across the UK until further notice.

Therefore it is recommended that all businesses/partners consider the National Stakeholder Menu of Tactical Options (see link below) noting that we are not at this time recommending any specific changes to how you operate currently, but recommend that you consider the following from the menu;

Increase security presence
Staff Vigilance
Partnership working
CCTV

The hyperlink/cut and paste into browser is as follows: - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-stakeholder-menu-of-tactical-options

All of these are easily achievable but by far the greatest asset and tactic you have is engaging staff who deliver a high level of quality of service by speaking to visitors to your buildings and challenging those displaying unusual behaviour.

You should also review your building and business continuity plans in the light of this attack. You should ensure that first aid points are fully stocked and the location of key equipment is made clear to all staff.

We also recommend that staff are directed to the Citizen Aid app and Run, Hide, Tell on YouTube. The number of casualties last night highlights the importance of understanding first aid. The latest guidance on recognising the terrorist threat and remaining vigilant can be accessed via http://www.nactso.gov.uk/

Be vigilant. If you suspect it, report it. Nobody is better placed to detect something that is out of place in their communities than the people living in them. We would encourage you, if you do see any suspicious activity, to call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency the public should always call 999. For further information on reporting suspicious behaviour visit https://act.campaign.gov.uk/

Many of you will have innovative ways of managing your protective security and it is requested that where you think you have a tactic or operating model that could be utilised by another similar organisation to good effect, that you share it with NaCTSO for sharing with others.

Finally, all terrorists use hostile reconnaissance in attack planning and you are reminded of the need to train your staff (details of upcoming Security Awareness Courses will be communicated to members shortly) and remind them of the vital role they play in recognising hostile reconnaissance and remind you that if in doubt call the Anti terrorist hotline on 0800 789321 or - in an emergency - 999.

Friday 17 Mar 2017 Press Release

New PSA Member - Oil Salvage

The PSA welcomes a new facility, Oil Salvage Ltd.

Oil Salvage is a family run business that has been operating from Merseyside since 1986.

They have their own Waste Water Treatment Plant on site. Their facility has some world renowned equipment to process customers’ troublesome waste streams. With the added advantages of a prime dockside location alongside Liverpool Docks they can import/export large shipments of oil around the world.

Waste oils are collected from all across the UK, from all aspects of industries including garages, shipping, power stations, quarries, refineries, factories and other major industries. This is treated using high and low technological processes to produce a high quality fuel that meets the high standards of the Environmental Agency Quality Protocol.

http://www.oilsalvage.com/

Monday 20 Jun 2016 Press Release

Container Development

A giant vessel bearing five ‘megamax’ quayside cranes sailed up the River Mersey destined for the new Liverpool2 Container Terminal, completing the final stage of its voyage from China.

The cranes originally set off from Shanghai passing south-east Asia, India, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa via the Cape of Good Hope en route to Liverpool in a journey of over 30,000km (18,000m, 16,400nm).

The super-structures were produced by Chinese company, Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co (ZPMC), the largest heavy duty equipment manufacturer in the world, as part of a contract with Peel Ports worth over £100m. A total of eight ship-to-shore megamax cranes and 22 cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes are being supplied to Peel Ports as part of the company's £300 million investment programme to expand and develop the existing Port of Liverpool.

Each crane measures 92 metres high to the top of the frame, approximately the same as Liverpool’s iconic Liver building, and 132 metres high when the boom is raised. Each crane weighs around 1600 tonnes.

Liverpool2 is the UK’s largest transatlantic deep-sea port and container terminal and the investment in facilities will allow it to accommodate the majority of the world’s current container fleet, including vessels up to 20,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) or two 13,500 TEU vessels simultaneously.

Friday 20 May 2016 Blog

Port of Liverpool terminal update

Phase 1 of the £100m terminal at Port of Liverpool is open for business.

The Port of Liverpool is now part of the biggest carbon saving project in Europe this week.

Phase 1 of the new £100m terminal is open for business with regular shipments of sustainable biomass pellets bound for Drax Power Station, near Selby in North Yorkshire.

Drax is the country's largest single generator of renewable electricity, producing almost 2,000MW of renewable power, enough for three million homes.

Freight trains leave regularly with 25 specially-designed wagons carrying 1,600 tonnes of pellets for the 99-mile journey to the power station, which last year provided more than 12 per cent of the UK’s renewable electricity.

Andy Koss, chief executive of Drax Power Ltd, said: "This is the Northern Powerhouse in action; bringing east-west connectivity and driving business and economic growth between the north west and Yorkshire."

He added: "This new Liverpool terminal adds to facilities on the east coast, bolstering our network still further. A robust supply chain is crucial as we continue to use the latest technology to transform the Drax power station to generate electricity using sustainable biomass, providing the UK with reliable, affordable, low carbon energy."

The terminal will eventually have the capacity to handle three million tonnes of wood pellets a year when fully completed in 2016.

All of the wood pellets arriving at the Port of Liverpool will be sent to Drax by rail, ensuring there is no impact on the local road network and the carbon footprint is minimised. Initially four trains a day will make deliveries and this is expected to increase to 10 daily train loads of pellets next year.

The new biomass terminal is set to create an additional 47 permanent jobs at the Port of Liverpool, while construction of the facility and the supply chain will create up to a further 300 jobs.

Gary Hodgson, COO Peel Ports Group, said: “East west connectivity is crucial for driving growth across the entire of the North of England. This is a landmark moment for both the Port of Liverpool and Drax as we provide tangible evidence of how businesses across the north can work together to fuel the Northern Powerhouse.

"The Port of Liverpool can be a huge engine for growth for the Northern Powerhouse as we already handle 45% of the UK's total transatlantic trade. This new service is a testament to the global supply chains which can already be accessed from the Port of Liverpool and these global links will increase dramatically when Liverpool2 is up and running."

Biomass is an important part of Peel Ports' strategy and is in line with the businesses’ aims to transfer freight from road to more sustainable forms of transport such as rail and water. The terminal will contribute to the ambitious growth plans for the Port of Liverpool, with the company already investing £300m to create the UK's most centrally located deep water container terminal, known as Liverpool2.

Liverpool2 will enable the port to handle the largest container ships in the global fleet while at the same time doubling the port’s container capacity.

Sunday 20 Mar 2016 Blog

Port of Liverpool crane operations

In anticipation of the arrival of five of the world’s largest cranes at the Port of Liverpool in the autumn, Peel Ports has introduced a state-of-the-art ‘virtual’ training simulator on site, designed to ensure all operators are ready to manoeuvre the giant structures from Day One of installation.

Peel Ports has been working closely with ABB, a global leader in automation, to produce a customised, high-tech training simulator tailored to interactively test the abilities and skills of drivers by presenting them with realistic, operating scenarios. The Company has invested over £500,000 in developing the simulator and the associated software.

The crane simulator reproduces the equipment layouts and behavioural movements of the actual Ship-To-Shore (STS) and semi-automated Cantilever Rail Mounted Gantry cranes (CRMG) which have been manufactured by Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) and are the tallest cranes built by the Chinese manufacturer to date.

The custom-designed software package on the simulator incorporates highly visual, real-life landscape graphics depicting the Liverpool skyline, including the iconic Liver Building and the river Mersey.

Khalid Mahdy, Training Officer at Liverpool2, said “Our crane operators will receive unrivalled training opportunities in how to manoeuvre and control these giant pieces of equipment and become familiar with the controls well before they are actually installed.

“They will also be able to practice problem-solving in a safe and controlled environment, as scenarios cover incidents, equipment failures and extreme weather conditions. At Peel Ports, we are committed to a comprehensive health and safety programme which ensures our employees are able to develop their skillsets to the highest level of expertise.”

David Huck, Port Director, added: "Peel Ports are committed to providing the best facilities and opportunities available in the training of our employees and workforce partners. We fully recognise the importance of a highly-skilled and competent workforce to the continued success and growth of the business.

“We are continuing to make significant investments in the latest phase of infrastructure during 2015, including the Navis N4 Terminal Operating System (TOS) and 10-lane AutoGates. Our investment in advanced driver simulators will further benefit our customers through improvements to operational efficiency as we reach the next phase of construction for Liverpool2 These investments will make Liverpool2 one of the most operationally efficient and modern terminals in Europe.”

The fleet of STS and CRMG cranes are part of the £300 million investment programme by Peel Ports to expand and develop the existing Port of Liverpool which will see Liverpool2, as it is called, become the UK’s largest transatlantic deep-sea port and container terminal.

Once completed in late 2015, it will be able to accommodate most of the world’s current fleet of container vessel types and will offer shipping lines a unique opportunity to connect ships of up to 13,500 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) directly to the heart of the UK.

The cranes will be capable of handling two 380m vessels simultaneously and ultimately will have a capacity of over one million TEU. With semi-automated remote-controlled operation, the cranes will reduce the time taken to transfer containers from ship to road or rail. They will also have the ability to operate at speeds in excess of 30mph and wind speeds of up to 55mph (88kmph).

Stay up to date with our latest news.

Latest News