HOUSTON, March 27, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- ABS Quality Evaluations (ABS QE) certified the security management system of the Port of Houston Authority (PHA), Port Police to ISO 28000:2007. The PHA has become the first port authority in the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://media.primezone.com/poha/
The international standard specifies the requirements for a security management system, including those aspects critical to security assurance of all aspects of the business management. ISO 28000:2007 was developed in response to demand from industry for a security management standard, with an ultimate objective to improve the security of supply chains.
"This latest accomplishment of being the first port in the world to be Security ISO 28000:2007 certified is due to the hard work and dedication of the port's staff and is further evidence of the Port of Houston Authority's proactive philosophy to lead by example," said PHA Chairman James T. Edmonds. "This initial certification is only the first part of our continual improvement process, which will lead to the eventual certification of all our terminals."
The certification comes after a three-year process of the development of PHA's Security Management System (SMS) and its application to Port Police and the perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals. It validates not only PHA's attention to U.S. Coast Guard regulations but also that PHA has gone beyond the requirements, while still ensuring the efficient movement of commerce.
"We are gratified to have been selected to audit the Port of Houston Authority," said Chuck Russo, president of ABS Quality Evaluations. "We were impressed with the robustness of the Port of Houston Authority's management system and the significant effort the Port has put in to achieve this."
The comprehensive, independent audit by ABS Quality Evaluations validates that PHA is on track with its security measures. These include improvements in security processes, procedures and practices, more detailed and efficient monitoring and documentation, broader training of the PHA police force and security partners and more efficient processing of vehicles through its gates.
PHA's Security Management System was modeled after its highly successful Environmental Management System, which made its Barbours Cut and Central Maintenance facilities the first by a seaport in the United States to attain ISO 14001 certification in 2002.
CAPTION
Chuck Russo, president of ABS Quality Evaluations, presents PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds and a group of key PHA employees who were involved in PHA's Security Management System effort with the official certificate at the March 25 Port Commission meeting.
From left: Wade Battles, PHA managing director Jerry Simon, facilities security officer, Turning Basin; Gil Thompson, assistant chief of port police; Patricia Ramsey, SMS representative/project manager and administrative manager, port police; PHA Chairman Edmonds; Russo of ABS; Daniel Foster, facilities security officer, Barbours Cut and Bayport terminals; and H. Thomas Kornegay, PHA executive director.
About ABS Quality Evaluations
ABS Quality Evaluations, Inc. offers third-party auditing and management system certification services to international standards. Its global resources provide industry expertise and an unmatched knowledge of certification processes in the areas of quality, the environment, safety and social accountability.
About Port of Houston Authority
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 7,000 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and 10th largest in the world. The Port Authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com
To access the port's web site photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery.
The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
