The Republic of Marshall Islands has issued ship security advisory regarding the handling of Ship Security Alert System transmissions.
In accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Regulation XI-2/6, activation of the Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) shall initiate and transmit a ship-to shore security alert to the designated Competent Authority, indicating that the security of the ship is under threat or has been compromised.The Competent Authority is also responsible for receiving SSAS test messages and investigating whether the alert is real, test, or false.
The Advisory serves as advance notice that, effective 01 April 2017, the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator will no longer receive SSAS alerts directly from any vessel. The Administrator’s new policy will instead provide for the Company or a Company-appointed, qualified third party to serve as the Competent Authority to receive and verify SSAS transmissions.
This policy change will allow the Company or the Company-appointed, qualified third party to acknowledge and respond to all test messages directly, ensuring the proper functioning of SSAS equipment and verifying the accuracy of the transmitted data without the need for acknowledgement of receipt by the Administrator.
Moreover, this policy reserves Administrator involvement to only those SSAS transmissions that are real alerts or unresolved alerts, which are to be immediately forwarded by the Competent Authority to the Administrator.
Further details may be found by reading the advisory below
Source: RMI
