New Information from MARAD About Maritime Security Communications with Industry

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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