From the April meeting of the National Maritime Security
Advisory Committee, new information from MARAD about maritime security
communications with industry. Information about the new program can be found
at https://www.marad.dot.gov/environment-and-safety/office-of-security/msci/
From this website: The U.S. Maritime Administration has
established a new interagency approach to communicating with U.S. maritime
industry stakeholders regarding identified maritime security threats. The new
system, U.S. Maritime Advisory System, replaces Special Warnings to Mariners
(previously generated by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of
Transportation Policy), MARAD Advisories (previously generated by the
Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration), and global maritime
security focused Marine Safety Information Bulletins (previously generated by
the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Coast Guard), to more effectively
and efficiently communicate with U.S. maritime industry stakeholders and U.S.
mariners regarding identified threats in the maritime domain.
Two new instruments will be issued through the System, U.S.
Maritime Alerts and U.S. Maritime Advisories. The U.S. Maritime Alert is a new tool that has been developed to
expeditiously provide basic information (location, incident type, and
date/time) on reported maritime security threats to U.S. maritime industry
interests. In some situations, a U.S.
Maritime Alert may be issued to refute unsubstantiated claims. U.S. Maritime
Alerts do not contain policy or recommendations for specific courses of action
(this type of information is reserved for U.S. Maritime Advisories). A U.S. Maritime Advisory may follow the issuance of a U.S. Maritime Alert and is
intended to provide more detailed information, when appropriate, through a
“whole-of-government” response to an identified maritime threat.
Both
instruments will normally be transmitted by the National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, will be emailed to U.S. maritime industry
stakeholders, and will be posted to this web portal to inform mariners of
identified maritime security threats. Vessel Masters, Company Security Officers,
ship operators, U.S. mariners, maritime industry associations, U.S. maritime
unions and professional associations, and U.S. mariner related non-governmental
organizations are the intended recipients of these messages. Maritime industry
stakeholders wishing to be added to the email distribution list for U.S.
Maritime Alerts and U.S. Maritime Advisories should email their request to MaradSecurity@dot.gov.
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