Tims Times

“The war on terror” was what the reaction to the 9-11 attacks was called, by the Bush crowd. They didn’t have great imagination with the naming of events, “operation enduring freedom” is another classic, it’s certainly enduring anyway. Anyway I’m not getting into criticism of US foreign policy under the Bush regime. One of the other things that happened after 9-11 was the creation of the ISPS code (International Ship and Port Facility Security Code), a knee jerk reaction designed to improve port security around the world, which has had varying effects and interpretations. The most significant difference is that the people who work at sea have suddenly become suspect at each port visit, there was a time when the Consul would be on the quay wall with a delegation of local dignitaries to welcome a ship to a port. Now it’s armed police checking that there are no “irregularities” or a sniffer dog, or a barking guard dog connected to a snarling security guard. Enduring freedom is right, enduring patience with gobshites required.

“Don’t mention the war” says my colleague to me on hearing that we were going to Germany, he might as well have said “don’t breathe”. You can’t help mentioning the war when approaching a German port, especially not Kiel. The first thing you see is a giant war memorial with a dirty great big U-boat parked on the sand beside it. A real life u-boat U-995 that managed to sink 6 ships in it’s short career at the end of WW2, it was a Norwegian U-boat for 20 years before being turned into a museum in 1971. Then you pass a U-boat memorial for all the German submariners lost at sea, half of the u-boat crews never came home, and of the ships they attacked most of the losses were from the merchant navy, so you get a shiver down your spine thinking about all the poor bastards that ended up in the cold Atlantic waters during the war.
Then we headed for the locks, which has been like all ports these days surrounded by 2 metre high fences with security gates and watch dogs and security guards. No offence to the guards only following orders and all, but the ISPS has been largely a winner for fence manufacturers, dog breeders and security firms who have cropped up in response to the “perceived threat“. Putting fences on the land makes it harder for jolly jack to go ashore and for the fire brigade or emergency services to get to the ships (unless they have a helicopter), and it doesn’t close the harbour from terrorists. The entire waterway is open without a fence in sight, ( OK in Gdansk they had two well hard looking geezers with black uniforms, H&K’s and wraparound sunglasses in a rubber dinghy, that nearly capsized when our wash hit it. Effective way to stop a ship?)and access to the quays from the water is wide open which brings me to my final mention of the war, WW2 anyway. The pilot made a sort of a gruff laugh and pointed at the fences, “security” he snorts, “not even during ze war did zey need fences here…….” He said a lot more too, but I won’t write that down here, don’t want to give the bad lads any efficient well thought out ideas.

So the lip service will continue, “Security Level 1 sorr!” (in best stage Oirish fashion tugging forelock earnestly)