U.S. Maritime Alert and Advisories streamline warnings

U.S. Maritime Alerts and Advisories is a new U.S. government tool developed to expedite reported maritime security threats to the U.S. maritime industry. The information replaces threat warnings previously disseminated from three separate government agencies: Special Warnings, MARAD Advisories, and global maritime security-related Marine Safety Information Bulletins.

Maritime Administration (MARAD) works in partnership with the U.S. departments of State, Defense, Justice, Transportation, and Homeland Security, the intelligence community and maritime industry stakeholders. The interagency approach was implemented Dec. 29.

The U.S. Maritime Advisory System establishes the first single, whole-of-government maritime security notification mechanism. This is the most significant update to maritime security alerts and advisories since 1939.

A U.S. Maritime Alert may be issued to refute unsubstantiated claims and will not contain policy or recommendations for specific courses of action. 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 alerts and advisories will normally be transmitted by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency by email and will be posted at www.marad.dot.gov.

Vessel masters, 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 can request to be added to the email list for U.S. Maritime Alerts and U.S. Maritime Advisories at [email protected].

Additional maritime security information and resource are available on the MARAD Office of Maritime Security website, www.marad.dot.gov. The U.S. Maritime Advisory System is available at www.marad.dot.gov/MSCI.