Harbour Master
Harbour Masters
Worldwide there are approximately 3,000 merchant ports and the work of the Harbour Master can vary widely from country to country and from port to port even within the same country.

Training on IMO port security and safety legislation was held at a workshop in Luanda, Angola from 5-9 December.
More than 50 Participants from Angola’s Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs Authority and other key agencies* were learning how international IMO instruments can be brought into national laws and regulations, with particular emphasis on the legislative drafting process. This was reported by the IMO news service on 9 December.
In the spotlight were IMO instruments including SOLAS Chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code1, with control and compliance measures and reference was made to MSC.1/Circ.15252 on development of national maritime security legislation.
This event, funded by the EU Port Security Project3, featured a visit to the Port of Luanda to observe the physical security measures applied by the port in accord with the ISPS Code.
* Agencies including the Agência Marítima Nacional (AMN-sede), Ministério da Justiça e do Direitos Humanos, Ministério das Relações Exteriores (MIREX) and Capitania do Porto de Luanda and Lobito.
1 https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Security/Pages/SOLAS-XI-2%20ISPS%20Code.aspx
2 https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/Security/Documents/MSC.1-Circ.1525.pdf
3 https://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Security/Pages/Port-Security-Project.aspx
Illustration per www.imo.org IMO ©.
The International Harbour Masters Association (IHMA) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority are pleased to announce the 15th International Harbour Masters Association Congress, to be held from 09–12 June 2026 at Theater Zuidplein in Rotterdam.
Naresh Sewnath, Senior Harbour Master at Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) in South Africa’s Port of Durban, began his maritime career back in 1988. He started out as a cadet with TNPA (then known as South African Transport Services (SATS).