Lloyds

Singapore calls for security boost across supply chain
By Marcus Hand in Singapore- Thursday July 06 2006

SECURITY should not focus only on key points such as ports and ships but the entire supply chain, says Singapore deputy prime minister S Jayakumar announcing plans for the Republics own programme covering all links.

Given that the supply chain spans many different nodes with different players involved at each node, we believe that an efficient supply chain security programme has to be based on sharing out security responsibilities across all nodes of the supply chain, and not to place the onus on only one or two nodes,Prof Jayakumar, who is also Singapores co-ordinating Minister for National Security told the opening of the APEC symposium on total supply chain security.

He commented that since September 11, 2001, many countries had acted to secure key installations such as ports and airports, but that the security of whole supply chain needs to be enhanced.

Since 9/11, a number of international initiatives, such as the ISPS Code and several cargo security initiatives, have emerged to strengthen parts of the supply chain,he said.

It was noted that these were good individual programmes but did not address supply security holistically.

Echoing these comments was Barry Desker, director of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies said: It is also clear that the responsibility for supply chain security cannot be borne solely by certain nodes such as ports, as they exercise little control over the rest of the chain.

The movement of a container is part of a transaction that can involve up to 25 different parties: from buyers, sellers, inland freighters and shipping lines, customs, cargo brokers, financiers and governments.

Gordon Holder, principal of US-based Consultants, Booz Allen Hamilton, told reporters that he believed the most vulnerable point in the supply chain was when a container was first being stuffed with goods.

For its own part to address the security of the entire supply chain Singapore announced it would launching its own national programme.

Our national supply chain security programme spells out a set of security guidelines and goals which the players in each different nodes of the supply chain such as suppliers, manufacturers, warehouse operators, transport companies, and terminal operators, should seek to enhance the security of their operations,said Prof Jayakumar.

The programme will be voluntary and the guidelines drawn up over the next few months.