Video: Seaports

February, 2010: David Fairnie, Director - Global Ports Solutions, on the drivers for port growth and the G4S strategy towards the sector

Transcript:

The drivers for port growth and port security requirements are based upon the little known fact that 95% of global trade by volume is transported through the maritime trading system. Thus, ports are a critical and vital part of this maritime trading system and are vulnerable to nefarious acts of criminal, organised criminal activity, or indeed potential terrorist activity.

As a consequence, governments over the last few years have recognised this vulnerability and have introduced legislation and regulation to protect the global supply chain.

The growth drivers are based upon our customers – port operators – risk and business drivers. From a risk point of view, they are looking at three specific risk areas: their compliance requirements in accordance with international legislation and evolving legislation, their requirement to protect their critical assets and their business assets, and the third is their resiliency and business continuity capabilities.

G4S’s approach to the port sector will undoubtedly change as we continue to implement our solutions approach. Currently we provide limited services more often in a commodity style to the port sector – manpower or limited technological solutions – in terms of protecting port infrastructure.

Undoubtedly technology will play an ever-increasing part in our solutions approach as both governments and port operators look to protect their critical assets or indeed look to improve their operational efficiencies or, and/or are required by legislation to implement technology such as the US Government Twik port access card or the EU’s common port access card, or indeed the drive towards the requirements for container scanning within the port environment.

Part of my role with G4S is to actively engage with governments to identify early evolving technology which will be deployed ultimately into the port environment.

For example in terms of improving our solutions capability, our recent acquisition of Adesta in the United States has improved our capability considerably. They have huge experience particularly in the port environment in the US community where they have a long-standing and unequalled track record of providing integrated solutions for the port environment.

In 2010, we will be concentrating our port solutions effort first and foremost with the largest terminal operators in the world, specifically the top four operators.

It’s also our intent in 2010 along with our strategic partners to bid on major US Government contracts directly linked to the mega-ports initiative. Initially we would be looking to build and integrate the systems required by the US Government to be deployed as part of this initiative with a view to in the longer term managing and operating these systems.