Every time you come into port, many unknown people come into your living and working space. Each one is a potential risk to the security of the ship.
If you aren't sure if someone is where they should be, challenge them. If something doesn't look right, it probably isn't. Raise it with the SSO or the Master.
As long as ships sail the worlds oceans carrying valuable cargoes and crews, and as long as geopolitical tensions exist, there will always exist some security risk to merchant vessels. It is important to have effective procedures in place to ensure that ship security is considered in every operation and that measures are put in place when required.
In recent months the security threat to merchant shipping has grown, and the effectiveness of the ships procedures could mean the difference between getting safely to your next port or being boarded.
While the Master and Ship Security Officer (SSO) have operational responsibility for ship security, supported by the Company Security Officer (CSO) – at the end of the day they cannot make the ship secure by themselves. Everyone on the ship is responsible for ship security, by following these procedures and the instructions of the Master, SSO and CSO.
The ship has been issued a Ship Security Plan. This is a restricted document that must be kept in the locked custody of the Master. Only the Master and SSO (onboard) and CSO (ashore) have the right to access all parts of this document and all three must be familiar with its contents.
The Ship Security Plan is specific to the vessel and implements measures to keep the ship secure from the risks identified during an earlier Ship Security Assessment. It sets out what systems and equipment is onboard, what training and drills are required and importantly what is do be done when entering areas with a higher security risk.
The Ship Security Plan must be reviewed at least annually by the SSO and the Master. The results of that review are to be sent to the CSO, who must respond within seven days.
Crew are required to follow the security instructions of the SSO and the Master at all times. It is important to remember that you may not have all the information that the SSO does, and as a result may not be able to recognize why a particular situation is high or higher risk.
In addition, crew are to report any suspicious or security related events to the SSO, Master or the Duty Officer.
If a Duty Officer receives a security report, they must inform the SSO.
When receiving such a report, the SSO must, together with the Master, assess the potential risk and act in accordance with the SSP. They are strongly encouraged to seek support from the CSO before acting, but should not hesitate to act immediately if the CSO cannot be reached.
The SSO must record all security reports in SMMS, which are then to be handled in the same way as HSE Events.
The SSO and Master must ensure that the procedures identified in the SSP Ship Security Plan are followed at all times for the security level in force at the time.
However, there are certain basic security measures that must be followed at all times:
- There must be a permanent security watch on the gangway at all time when in port.
- The identification of all visitors must be checked and recorded.
- If an unknown visitor arrives, the Master, SSO or Duty Officer must be informed.
Again, this is not intended to replace the measured identified in the SSP.
The Company may engage external security personnel provided this is permitted by the Flag State rules. Having external security personnel onboard does not relieve the SSO or the Master of their duties and responsibilities with respect to security.
There are three maritime security (MARSEC) levels defined in the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code.
During periods of elevated security risk, the MARSEC level may be increased. The ship can never have a lower MARSEC level than the port facility it is in.
MARSEC 1 - Default security level
MARSEC 1 is the default level at which ships, ports and offshore facilities normally operate. This level requires all maritime industry participants to maintain the minimum appropriate
MARSEC 2 - Heightened risk of a security incident
MARSEC 2 indicates there is a heightened risk of a security incident. Ships, ports and offshore facilities and associated maritime industry participants must implement appropriate additional protective security measures. They must maintain these measures for a period of time.
MARSEC 3 - A security incident is probable or imminent
MARSEC 3 applies when there is a probable or imminent risk of a security incident, even though it may be not possible to identify the specific target. Ships, ports and offshore facilities and associated maritime industry participants must implement further protective security measures. They must maintain these measures while the incident is probable or imminent.
The actions required at each level are set out in the SSP Ship Security Plan. This document is confidential and in part restricted to ensure that the measures are not shared with those who might use them to compromise the security of the ship. As a result, specific actions are not listed here. However, at higher levels you can expect greater security measures, such as more locked doors, bag searches, restrictions on access and leaving the vessel, enhanced surveillance, installing fixed measures such as gates/ barriers or wire, installing preventative measures such as fire hoses or similar.
The actions will be different for each ship and for each level, and are agreed by the flag state when the SSP Ship Security Plan is approved.
As crew members, you need to:
- KNOW the current MARSEC level,
- KNOW who the SSO Ship Security Officer is,
- KNOW who the CSO Company Security Officer is,
- FOLLOW the instructions of the SSO whenever preparing to enter an area of high risk,
- FOLLOW the instructions of the SSO whenever MARSEC levels change.
| DATE | DETAILS |
|---|---|
| 21.01.2024 | Issued. |
| 04.02.2024 | Section B09.08 added. This section sets out the MARSEC security levels, and describes basic actions that may be taken at each of these. |