ISO 20858:2007

Overview

ISO 20858:2007 - Ships and marine technology - Maritime port facility security assessments and security plan development - provides a practical framework to help marine port facilities meet the ISPS Code intent. The standard focuses on specifying required competence of personnel, conducting a marine port facility security assessment, and drafting/implementing a Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP). It also sets documentation and record-keeping practices to allow independent verification by authorized reviewers. Use of ISO 20858 is voluntary and does not replace national obligations or prescribe how authorities designate Recognized Security Organizations (RSOs).

Key topics and requirements

ISO 20858:2007 covers the full assessment-to-plan lifecycle and associated records. Major technical topics include:

• Competence and roles: criteria for personnel conducting security assessments and for Port Facility Security Officers (PFSO).
• Security assessment procedures: defining assessment scope, identifying assets/infrastructure, and capturing current security status.
• Threats, scenarios and scoring: development of threat scenarios, classification of consequences and likelihood, and scoring of security incidents.
• Countermeasures and prioritization: selection, exceptions, and prioritization of mitigations to reduce identified risks.
• PFSP content: required plan elements such as plot plans, security administration, access control (including restricted/public areas), procedures for interfacing with ships, Declarations of Security (DoS), cargo handling controls, delivery of ship’s stores/bunkers, monitoring, communications, emergency and incident procedures.
• Specialised requirements: additional considerations for passenger/ferry and cruise terminals.
• Verification and maintenance: audits, plan amendments, drills and exercises, skills/competency records, and retention of documentation.
• Documentation: safeguarding assessment reports, PFSP, operations and training records to permit independent verification.

Practical applications and users

ISO 20858 is useful for:

• Port authorities and marine port facility operators preparing or revising PFSPs.
• Port Facility Security Officers, security managers and security personnel defining competencies and training.
• Recognized Security Organizations (RSOs), consultants and auditors assessing compliance with ISPS Code expectations.
• Ship operators wanting assurance that a port facility follows a recognized, auditable assessment process.
• Certification bodies and governments referencing an industry-consensus approach for documentation and verification.

Related standards

• ISPS Code (IMO) - mandatory international code for ship and port facility security (ISO 20858 supports ISPS implementation).
• ISO 28000 - Supply chain security management systems.
• ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 and ISM Code - examples of management systems referenced for integration with security processes.

Keywords: ISO 20858, Port Facility Security Plan, PFSP, ISPS Code, marine port facility security assessment, port security, Port Facility Security Officer, security incident scoring.