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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Please note: This blog always quotes heavily from the sources identified in the opening paragraph. I acknowledge that I should probably be using quotation marks and block indentation. Readers should assume that text is from the source and not original with the blog author unless otherwise stated.

Information on the new policy for the MTSA training course submission and review process posted on Coast Guard’s Homeport site

Information on the new policy for the  MTSA training course submission and review process can be found on the U. S. Coast Guard Homeport site, on the public side, at Missions > Maritime Security > Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) > General Information > Maritime Transportation Security Act Training Courses.

Maritime Transportation Security Act Training Courses

Our nation is more secure today because of the hard work and patriotism of vessel and

facility operators across the country, and the many associated industries and

organizations that have developed to support the goals of the Maritime Transportation

Security Act (MTSA). Training is a key element of the MTSA, and in 2004, the

Maritime Administration (MARAD) established a MTSA Training Course Certification

process. This process required course providers to submit a course to MARAD, who then

contracted with a Coast Guard accepted Quality Standard System (QSS) organization for

review.

As of October 1, 2014, that contract is expired, and course providers should now submit associated with the training course submission and review process. The National Maritime Center will complete the course review for vessel courses. For questions regarding Vessel Security Officer (VSO), Maritime Security for Vessel Personnel with Specific Security Duties (VPSSD) and Maritime Security Awareness

(MSA) should contact:

Robert L Smith

United States Coast Guard

National Maritime Center

100 Forbes DR

Martinsburg, West Virginia 25404-0001

Robert.L.Smith3@uscg.mil

The following courses may be submitted directly to a Coast Guard accepted QSS:

Facility Security Officer (FSO), Company Security Officer (CSO), Maritime Security for

Military, First Responder, and Law Enforcement Personnel (MSLEP), and Maritime

Security for Facility Personnel with Specific Security Duties (FPSSD). Below are the

current Coast Guard accepted QSSs:

Gordon Halsey

Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd (DNVGL)

North America Advisory Services Maritime

1600 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway, Suite 110

Sunrise, FL 33323

Miami@dnvgl.com

Pavan Lall

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)

Learning Center Manager

16855 Northchase Drive

Houston, Texas 77060

60

plall@eagle.org

Effective security training for maritime industry professionals is critical to the success of

the nation’s security efforts. The Coast Guard may continue to use successful completion

of a valid course certified under this process or previously certified under the MARAD

contract as meeting certain training requirements under Title 33 Code of Federal

Regulations (CFR) Parts 104 and 105. As the Coast Guard continues to develop

regulations to establish comprehensive FSO training requirements I strongly encourage

them to take approved courses. 

USCG and MARAD Guidance re Ebola Virus Precautions

Both the Maritime Administration and the United States Coast Guard have recently issued bulletins regarding the Ebola guidance.  Each guidance is reproduced below.

From the Coast Guard: https://www.uscg.mil/msib/docs/012_14_8-7-2014.pdf.  This is an August 07, 2014 Marine Safety Information Bulletin, Ebola Virus Precautions.

“To date, there have been 1603 confirmed cases of individuals infected with the Ebola virus worldwide with 887 deaths. The epidemic is slowing in Guinea but continues unabated in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Also, four cases have been reported in Nigeria. There have been two reported cases of Americans serving in health care or missionary work in West Africa but, no reported cases in Department of Defense, Coast Guard, or with U.S. mariners. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) has issued travel warnings. We strongly recommend that personnel traveling to those affected countries review travel alerts issued by the CDC prior to their arrival. Travel alert information can be found at: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

Some key points to remember concerning Ebola:

• Symptoms include fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. In addition, skin rash, red eyes, and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients.

• Travelers could be infected if they come into contact with blood or body fluids from someone who is sick or has died from Ebola, sick wildlife, or meat from an infected animal. Health care providers caring for Ebola patients and family and friends in close contact with an ill person are at highest risk because they may come into contact with blood or body fluids.

• Monitor your health for 21 days if you were in an area with an Ebola outbreak, especially if you were in contact with blood or body fluids, items that have come in contact with blood or body fluids, animals or raw meat, or hospitals where Ebola patients are being treated.

Vessel owners/operators and local stakeholders should be aware of the following:

• Vessel representatives are required to report sick or deceased crew or passengers within the last 15 days to the CDC under 42 CFR 71.21. Regional CDC quarantine station points of contact can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/QuarantineStationContactListFull.html

• The Coast Guard will review all Notice of Arrivals to determine if a vessel has visited a country impacted by Ebola virus outbreak within its last five ports of call.

• Vessel masters should inform any Coast Guard boarding teams of any ill crewmembers on board.

• Local industry stakeholders, in partnership with their Coast Guard Captain of the Port, should review and be familiar with section 5310 Procedures for Vessel Quarantine and Isolation, and Section 5320 Procedures for security segregation of Vessels in their Area Maritime Security Plan.

• Local industry stakeholders, in partnership with their Coast Guard Captain of the Port, should review and be familiar with their Marine Transportation System Recovery Plan.

Questions regarding this should be forwarded to the Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, Foreign and Offshore Vessel Division (CG-CVC-2) at 202-372-1218 or by email at CGCVC@uscg.mil.

Captain Kyle McAvoy, U.S. Coast Guard, Chief Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance (CG-CVC), sends.”

From MARAD: http://www.marad.dot.gov/news_room_landing_page/maritime_advisories/advisory/advisory_2014-02.htm

Advisory #:         2014-02

Date Issued:       Sep 02 2014

To:          All Operators of U.S.-Flag, Effective U.S. Control Vessels, U.S. Merchant Mariners and Other Maritime Interests

Subject:               Ebola Virus

THIS IS THE FULL TEXT VERSION OF MARAD ADVISORY 2014-02.  THE NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HAS TRANSMITTED A SHORTENED VERSION.

1. U.S.-FLAG OPERATORS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD THIS ADVISORY TO THEIR SHIPS BY THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS MEANS.

2. EBOLA, ALSO KNOWN AS EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE (EVD) AND EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER, IS A RARE AND DEADLY DISEASE CAUSED BY A VIRAL INFECTION. FIRST DISCOVERED IN 1976 NEAR THE EBOLA RIVER IN WHAT IS NOW THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, THE VIRUS AFFECTS HUMANS AND SOME ANIMALS. SINCE THEN, OUTBREAKS HAVE APPEARED SPORADICALLY IN SEVERAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES. AS OF AUGUST 28, 2014, EBOLA HAS INFECTED 3,069 AND KILLED MORE THAN 1,552 PEOPLE IN FOUR COUNTRIES (GUINEA, LIBERIA, SIERRA LEONE AND NIGERIA) SINCE THE CURRENT OUTBREAK WAS FIRST DETECTED IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR.

3. SYMPTOMS OF EBOLA INCLUDE FEVER AND ADDITIONAL SYMPTOMS SUCH AS SEVERE HEADACHE, MUSCLE PAIN, VOMITING, DIARRHEA, STOMACH PAIN, OR UNEXPLAINED BLEEDING OR BRUISING. SYMPTOMS MAY APPEAR ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 21 DAYS AFTER EXPOSURE TO EBOLA VIRUS, ALTHOUGH 8-10 DAYS IS THE MOST COMMON.

4. EBOLA IS SPREAD THROUGH DIRECT CONTACT WITH BLOOD OR BODY FLUIDS (URINE, SALIVA, FECES, VOMIT AND SEMEN) FROM A PERSON WHO IS INFECTED AND CURRENTLY HAS SYMPTOMS OF EBOLA. EBOLA MAY ALSO BE TRANSMITTED THROUGH CONTACT WITH OBJECTS (E.G., NEEDLES) CONTAMINATED WITH BLOOD OR BODY FLUIDS FROM A SYMPTOMATIC PERSON OR THROUGH CONTACT WITH, OR CONSUMPTION OF AN ANIMAL INFECTED WITH EBOLA. THE VIRUS ENTERS THE HUMAN BODY THROUGH MUCOUS MEMBRANES (E.G., EYES, NOSE OR MOUTH) OR THROUGH BREAKS IN THE SKIN. PEOPLE ARE INFECTIOUS AS LONG AS THEIR BLOOD AND SECRETIONS CONTAIN THE VIRUS. EBOLA IS NOT AIRBORNE AND IT CANNOT BE TRANSMITTED FROM A PERSON WHO IS NOT SYMPTOMATIC.

5. THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONTRACTING EBOLA IS VERY LOW UNLESS THERE HAS BEEN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE BLOOD OR BODY FLUIDS FROM A SYMPTOMATIC PERSON OR AN ANIMAL INFECTED WITH EBOLA, OR WITH A CONTAMINATED OBJECT.  SIMPLY TRAVELING TO AN AREA WHERE EBOLA IS PRESENT DOES NOT MEAN A PERSON WILL BE EXPOSED TO THE VIRUS.  GIVEN THE UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS OF CASES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS OUTBREAK, THE U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) ISSUED A LEVEL 3 WARNING TO  AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL TO SIERRA LEONE, GUINEA AND LIBERIA, AND A LEVEL 2  ALERT TO PRACTICE ENHANCED PRECAUTIONS IF TRAVELING TO  NIGERIA OR THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO.  PRECAUTIONS INCLUDE PRACTICING CAREFUL HYGIENE, AVOIDING CONTACT WITH BLOOD AND BODY FLUIDS OF PERSONS SICK WITH EBOLA OR WITH ITEMS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SUCH FLUIDS, AVOIDING CONTACT WITH WILD ANIMALS AND AVOIDING RAW OR UNDERCOOKED MEAT.  OTHER PRECAUTIONS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CDC WEBSITE.

6.  THE CDC MAINTAINS UP-TO-DATE WEB RESOURCES WHICH PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE OUTBREAK, PREVENTATIVE STEPS THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO REMAIN HEALTHY BEFORE AND DURING TRAVEL, AS WELL AS ACTIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN IF A TRAVELER BECOMES ILL AT ANY POINT.  THESE WEB RESOURCES, ALONG WITH CDC TRAVEL NOTICES, CAN BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices  and http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/. FURTHERMORE, U.S. MERCHANT MARINERS WITH ACCESS TO UNCLASSIFIED HTTPS://WWW.INTELINK.GOV CAN ALSO ACCESS FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MEDICAL INTELLIGENCE (NCMI) FOR MORE SPECIFIC COUNTRY RELATED INFORMATION AT  HTTPS://WWW.INTELINK.GOV/NCMI/."

7. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) RECOMMENDS THAT TRAVELERS TO AFFECTED AREAS AVOID ALL CONTACT WITH BLOOD, SECRETIONS, ORGANS OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS OF INFECTED LIVING OR DEAD PERSONS OR ANIMALS, AND ADVISES THAT PERSONS WHO HAVE HAD SUCH CONTACT, OR WHO HAVE AN ILLNESS CONSISTENT WITH EBOLA, SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO TRAVEL EXCEPT AS PART OF AN APPROPRIATE MEDICAL EVACUATION. WHO DOES NOT OTHERWISE RECOMMEND ANY BAN ON INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL OR TRADE.

8. THE US COAST GUARD HAS ISSUED A MARITIME SAFETY INFORMATION BULLETIN ON EBOLA VIRUS PRECAUTIONS, WHICH INCLUDES A REMINDER TO VESSEL MASTERS TO REPORT SICK OR DECEASED CREW MEMBERS OR PASSENGERS TO THE CDC IN ACCORDANCE WITH 42 CFR 71.21.  ADDITIONALY THE COAST GUARD REMINDS OWNERS, OPERATORS, AGENTS, MASTERS OR PERSONS IN CHARGE OF THE REQUIREMENT TO IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY THE NEAREST COAST GUARD SECTOR OFFICE OR GROUP OFFICE OF THE EXISTENCE OF HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ON THEIR VESSELS AS REQUIRED BY 33 CFR 160.215. THE COAST GUARD CONSIDERS CREWMEMBERS INFECTED WITH EBOLA OR DECEASED FROM ILLNESS RELATED TO EBOLA A HAZARDOUS CONDITION AS DEFINED BY 33 CFR 160.204 DEFINITION OF "HAZARDOUS CONDITION”. THE COAST GUARD WILL CHECK ALL ADVANCE NOTICES OF ARRIVAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER A VESSEL HAS VISITED A COUNTRY IMPACTED BY THE EBOLA VIRUS OUTBREAK WITHIN THE PREVIOUS FIVE PORT CALLS.  THE BULLETIN IS AVAILABLE AT HTTPS://WWW.USCG.MIL/MSIB/DOCS/012_14_8-7-2014.PDF.

9. MARAD ADVISORIES ARE PUBLISHED ON THE MARAD WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.MARAD.DOT.GOV/NEWS_ROOM_LANDING_PAGE/MARITIME_ADVISORIES AND THE MARITIME SAFETY INFORMATION WEB SITE:  HTTP://MSI.NGA.MIL/NGAPORTAL/MSI.PORTAL. UNDER "BROADCAST WARNINGS", SELECT MARAD ADVISORIES TO DETERMINE MARITIME ADVISORIES THAT REMAIN IN FORCE.  CONSULT THE MARITIME ADMINISTRATION WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.MARAD.DOT.GOV OR THE MOST RECENT U.S. NOTICE TO MARINERS.

10.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT CAPTAIN ROBERT FORD, MARITIME ADMINISTRATION, OFFICE OF SECURITY, CODE: MAR-420, ROOM W25-308, 1200 NEW JERSEY AVE, S.E., WASHINGTON, DC 20590, TELEPHONE 202-366-0223, TLX II 710.822.9426 (MARAD DOT WSH) OR EMAIL:  MARADSECURITY@DOT.GOV.

MARAD Survey Concerning Merchant Marine Personnel Shortage

On June 20, 2011, in Volume 76, Issue 118 of the Federal Register, the U. S. Maritime Administration announced that it will collect information in the form of a survey of approximately 100 vessel operating companies representing different sectors of the U.S. maritime industry.

MARAD believes that a survey is necessary because it has received an abundance of anecdotal information indicating there is a serious existing and projected mariner shortage in different
market sectors.

Commentary: Those of us who remember hard times in the merchant marine wonder at times why anyone risks making a living in that industry. (I remember, for example, 1979 on the Great Lakes, when mariners with big licenses counted themselves lucky to sail as deckhands.)

This should be an interesting survey.

DTOS 59-11-R-00307 Presolicitation Notice, Maritime Security Training

On March 11, MARAD posted a presolicitation notice for contractor services to assess maritime security training courses. The notice is posted in its entirety below.

The Maritime Security training course assessor (hereinafter "Contactor") shall act on behalf of MARAD and the USCG hereinafter (Government) to evaluate maritime security training courses proposed by training providers to ensure conformity with applicable Government requirements. The Contractor shall issue documents of compliance to training providers whose curricula, instructors, facilities, materials and method of instructions conform with applicable requirements. The Contractor shall maintain records that describe the scope of all evaluations performed and track the documents issued. The processes and procedures by which the Contractor performs these services shall be governed by a recognized Quality Standards System (QSS) that will be subject to periodic review by Government Officials. All responses SHALL BE COAST GUARD QSS CERTIFIED.

Responses are to be submitted to MARAD by April 15, 2011.

Some points to be noted include:

1. The contractor will be reviewing both MARAD and USCG security training courses.

2. The contractor needs to be QSS certified, which really narrows the scope. According to the USCG website(3/8/2010) at http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/faq/vso_rule_making.asp, the Coast Guard-approved QSS organizations are as follow: American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and American Council of Education (ACE).

3. Who may be disqualified from responding? NVIC 97-9, Guidance on STCW Quality Standards Systems (QSS) for Merchant Mariner Courses or Training Programs, states, (5)(k), “Coast Guard-accepted QSS organizations must be completely independent of any organizations offering training. Coast Guard-accepted QSS organizations may not exercise direct or indirect managerial or financial control through contract or understanding over any training organization. Likewise, training organizations may not exercise direct or indirect managerial or financial control through contract or understanding over any Coast Guard-accepted QSS organization.”

(Thanks to John Bennett for calling this to my attention and resulting excellent discussion and Steven Sawhill of DNV for excellent discussion.)

The Maritime Administration’s U.S.-Flag Great Lakes Fleet Revitalization Study.

From the 12/29 Federal Register:

There will be three public listening session meetings that are being held to gather data and comments to inform the Maritime Administration’s U.S.-Flag Great Lakes Fleet Revitalization Study. The U.S.-Flag Great Lakes Fleet Revitalization Study will examine the current and potential future role of Great Lakes shipping in supporting the region’s economy and as an important component of the greater U.S. Marine Highway system serving the Nation at large. It will also be used to assess the impact of new environmental regulations on the U.S.-Flag Great Lakes Fleet. Of particular interest is the likely impact of the EPA’s final emission standards for new marine diesel ‘‘Category 3’’ engines that goes into effect in January 2012. This study calls for the identification and evaluation of options to recapitalize U.S. vessels and port infrastructure on the Great Lakes, using private and public sector investments, to generate the greatest net benefits for the region and the Nation.

This Maritime Administration study will be a two-phase effort to estimate the costs and options for complying with the new environmental regulations. The first phase will be a data gathering effort. An inventory of current vessel and port assets will be developed. That inventory will be used to determine if the Maritime Administration can assist the U.S. Flag Great Lakes vessel operators in complying with the new regulations.

During the second phase of the study, the Maritime Administration will examine a mix of private and public sector financing options that could be used for vessel or port alterations necessitated by the new environmental regulations. This analysis will be used in developing strategies for how the Maritime Administration might assist the U.S.-Flag Great Lakes Fleet and ports in making those changes. The Maritime Administration will use the study’s findings to develop strategies to promote the U.S.-Flag Great Lakes Fleet and Ports. Stakeholder input is an essential part of the strategy development process, so the study plan includes three stakeholder listening sessions where the important issues raised by the study will be discussed. Topics of discussion include the new EPA environmental regulations such as the Control of Emissions from Category 3 Marine Engines and their impact on Great Lakes vessel operators, the state of the Great Lakes shipping markets, and issues facing vessel operators and port operators.

The three sessions will be held in Duluth, Cleveland, and Chicago. The Cleveland, Ohio, meeting will take place on February 15, 2011, from 8a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Daylight Saving Time. The meeting will be held at Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade, 420 East Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, 44114.Persons interested in attending the meeting should register by February 4, 2011. Registration: The meetings are open to the public. Advanced registration is recommended. To register, interested parties should send their name, group affiliation, and which of the three meetings they will attend to GreatLakesStudy@absconsulting.com.
The meeting agenda will be sent to registered participants.

The Cleveland session is to be held the day before the annual Great Lakes Waterways Conference/Marine Community Days, at the same location. The website for the Waterways Conference is http://www.greatlakeswaterwaysconference.com/.