ISO 20858:2007建立了一个框架，以协助海港设施指定人员进行海港设施安全评估的能力，并根据ISPS规范国际标准的要求制定安全计划，进行海港设施安全评估，以及起草/实施港口设施安全计划（PFSP）。 此外，ISO 20858:2007规定了某些文件要求，旨在确保执行上述职责所用的过程以允许合格授权机构进行独立验证的方式进行记录（如果港口设施同意审查）。 ISO 20858:2007的目标不是为缔约国政府或指定机构指定认可安全组织（RSO）的要求，或者，如果港口设施人员具备本规范中概述的专业知识，则强制使用外部服务提供商或其他第三方来执行海上港口设施安全评估或安全计划。船舶运营商可能会被告知，使用本文件的海港设施符合行业确定的ISPS规范合规水平。 位于海港设施安全边界之外的港口基础设施可能会影响设施/船舶接口的安全。 ISO 20858:2007未涉及与此类基础设施相关的ISPS规范要求。州政府有责任保护其人口和基础设施，使其免受在其海港设施外发生的海洋事故的影响。这些职责不在ISO 20858:2007的范围内。

ISO 20858:2007 establishes a framework to assist marine port facilities in specifying the competence of personnel to conduct a marine port facility security assessment and to develop a security plan as required by the ISPS Code International Standard, conducting the marine port facility security assessment, and drafting/implementing a Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP). In addition, ISO 20858:2007 establishes certain documentation requirements designed to ensure that the process used in performing the duties described above was recorded in a manner that would permit independent verification by a qualified and authorized agency (if the port facility has agreed to the review). It is not an objective of ISO 20858:2007 to set requirements for a contracting government or designated authority in designating a Recognized Security Organization (RSO), or to impose the use of an outside service provider or other third parties to perform the marine port facility security assessment or security plan if the port facility personnel possess the expertise outlined in this specification. Ship operators may be informed that marine port facilities that use this document meet an industry-determined level of compliance with the ISPS Code. Port infrastructure that falls outside the security perimeter of a marine port facility might affect the security of the facility/ship interface. ISO 20858:2007 does not address the requirements of the ISPS Code relative to such infrastructures. State governments have a duty to protect their populations and infrastructures from marine incidents occurring outside their marine port facilities. These duties are outside the scope of ISO 20858:2007.