Circular
Letter
MSC/Circ.1155
GUIDANCE ON THE MESSAGE PRIORITY AND THE TESTING OF SHIP SECURITY ALERT SYSTEMS
(adopted on 20 May 2005)
1.
The Maritime Safety Committee (the Committee), at its seventy-eighth session
(12 to 21 May 2004), instructed the Subcommittee on Radiocommunications and
Search and Rescue (COMSAR Sub-Committee) to consider questions relating to the
message priority and the testing of ship security alert systems and to develop,
if necessary, guidance to this end.
2.
The COMSAR Sub-Committee, at its ninth session (7 to 11 February 2005),
considered the matter and submitted its recommendations on the issue to the
Committee.
3.
The Committee, at its eightieth session (11 to 20 May 2005), considered the
recommendation of the COMSAR Sub-Committee and approved the Guidance on the
message priority and the testing of ship security alert systems (the Guidance),
as set out at Annex.
4.
SOLAS Contracting Governments are invited to bring the Guidance to the
attention of all parties concerned with matters relating with ship security
alerts and systems.
5.
SOLAS Contracting Governments, international organizations and non-governmental
organizations with consultative status which encounter difficulties with the
implementation of the Guidance should bring, at the earliest opportunity, the
matter to the attention of the Committee for consideration of the issues
involved and decision on the actions to be taken.
Annex.
GUIDANCE ON THE MESSAGE PRIORITY AND THE TESTING OF SHIP SECURITY ALERT SYSTEMS
I
Message priority
1.
The Committee, being aware of the message priority requirements applicable to
satellite communications, and given the diversity of ship security alert
systems, agreed that there was no need to develop a message priority
requirement for ship security alerts.
2.
Ship security alert system communication service providers should deliver the
ship security alert messages without delay so as to permit the relevant
competent authorities to take appropriate action.
3.
Ship security alerts may be addressed to more than one recipient, as designated
by the Administration, in order to enhance the resilience of the ship security
alert system.
4.
The Committee urged once more those SOLAS Contracting Governments that had yet
to establish criteria for the delivery of ship security alerts, to do so as a
matter of priority.
5.
SOLAS regulation XI-2/13.1.3 requires SOLAS Contracting Governments to
communicate to the Organization and to make available to Companies and ships
the names and contact details of those who have been designated to be available
at all times (twenty-four hours a day seven days a week) to receive and act
upon ship security alerts.
6.
Administrations should ensure that their designated recipients of ship security
alerts are capable of processing the information received with the highest
priority and taking appropriate actions.
II
Testing
1.
The Committee agreed that there was a need for ship security alert systems to
be subject to testing.
2.
However, given the multiplicity of ship security alert systems and the fact
that a number of systems in use already had test procedures in place, the
Committee decided that it would be impractical to develop a test protocol to
cover all systems.
3.
The Committee thus agreed that the development of procedures and protocols for
testing ship security alert systems were a matter for individual
Administrations.
4.
Ships, Companies, Administrations and recognized security organizations should
ensure that when ship security alert systems are to be tested those concerned
are notified so that the testing of the ship security alert system does not
inadvertently lead to unintended emergency response actions.
5.
When the ship security alert system accidentally transmits, during testing, a
ship security alert, ships, Companies, Administrations and recognized security
organizations should act