The USCG’s Office of Port and Facility Compliance issued the Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 09-02, change 5 ‘Guidelines for the Area Maritime Security Committees (AMSC) and Area Maritime Security Plans (AMSP) for U.S. Ports’.
Mainly, the Guidelines were signed by Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy Rear Adm. John Nadeau on April 19, 2019.
The purpose of these guidelines is to:
- Provide guidance to field commanders, the maritime community and Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC) members on the development and maintenance of Area Maritime Security (AMS) Assessments and Area Maritime Security Plans (AMSPs);
- Provide guidance on the responsibilities of the Captain of the Port (COTP) acting as the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator (FMSC);
- Provide a common template for AMSPs;
- Address port security issues that are the shared responsibility of the port stakeholders and AMSCs;
- Promote unity of effort among all stakeholders with maritime security interests at the port level.
Moreover, the NVIC 09-05 change 5 revisions include a new enclosure 5 that provides a Cyber Incident Response Template modelled after the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Incident Response Plan.
Enclosure 5 was previously the place holder for the Marine Transportation System Recovery Plan, which was removed from NVIC 09-02 and is now located in NVIC 04-18.
The Maritime Security Transportation Act calls Coast Guard Captains of the port, as the Federal Maritime Security Coordinators, to implement and exercise AMSPs annually and, with the advice and assistance of their AMSCs, to conduct a formal detailed review of the AMSPs every five years.
There are 43 AMSCs nationwide that are cornerstones to bolstering port security and safeguarding the nation’s critical Marine Transportation System, which drives $5.4 trillion dollars of annual economic activity.
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