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The Auxiliary supports the inspection provisions of the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) by onboard inspection of vessels that are required to obtain and publish Coast Guard security plans. Currently, the Western Rivers Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) has tasked the Auxiliary with onboard inspections of vessels in that 11-state area of responsibility, where there are approximately 325 Coast Guard Active Duty and Reserve personnel. USCG Auxiliary White Paper on Maritime Domain Awareness (2005)
MARINE SAFETY AND SECURITY ("M" DEPARTMENT)
As the Coast Guard continues to reorganize to meet post-9/11 requirements mandated by the Marine Transportation Security Act (MTSA), placing new emphasis on maritime security, so too does the Auxiliary's MSEP. The number and skill-levels of Auxiliarists working with Coast Guard Marine Safety Offices (MSO) have increased significantly, with highly qualified Auxiliary members augmenting active duty personnel in such MSO missions as Compliance Visits, Critical Infrastructure Patrols and Sea Marshal Communications. "M" is responsible for the planning and administration of Auxiliary programs in support of OPR, as well as other Coast Guard Marine Safety and Marine Environmental Protection (MSEP) Directorate programs. This includes support for such missions as spill reconnaissance and sampling, remote area inspections, vessel factory visits, licensing exam administration, public affairs, local planning, Marine Safety Information System/Marine Information Safety and Law Enforcement System (MSIS/MISLE) programs, and environmental education.In addition, the "M" Department's service to MDA/OPR is to supply need-based support to maritime security activities of the Operation -- based on local experiences, needs and member capabilities. This is accomplished by providing training, expert resources and field technical support to Auxiliary members and to local Coast Guard and Auxiliary units, as well as being directly engaged in certain maritime security missions.
Visit the MSEP Web Site for a full description of department services. The following paragraphs provide an example of many "M" services directly related to MDA/OPR:
By Greg Kester, DVC-MS, kester@televiso.com What is the MTSA? The Maritime Transportation Security Act, more commonly known as MTSA, was signed into law in November of 2003 and is a major focus for the Marine Safety Offices right now. The law required all port facilities and vessels to submit security plans by January 1 of 2004. Failure to comply subjected those not in compliance to stiff penalties. Any facility or vessel that had not submitted a plan by April 1 received a Notice of Violation with a significant fine for non-compliance. July 1 is the next deadline. At that time the facilities/vessels must be in full compliance with their approved plan or they may be required to terminate operations and be fined until they are in compliance. The international equivalent regulation is the International Ship and Port Security Code, which requires foreign flagged vessels to meet the same security requirements as US ships. This combined approach ensures the security of our nation’s maritime industry is increased to meet the requirements of our new normalcy.
Significance of MTSA for the Auxiliary What does this mean for the Coast Guard and for the Auxiliary? Each facility and vessel required to submit a plan must be inspected to ensure they are following that plan and in compliance with its terms. Each Marine Safety Office has varying numbers of facilities and vessels to inspect along with varying numbers of people to handle those inspections and any enforcement needed. All of this is in addition to their normal duties. Nothing was taken away. The Auxiliary can provide additional resources to help meet the increased workload.
MSO St. Louis has numerous facilities and possibly hundreds of vessels on over 2,000 miles of river and a very limited number of active duty and reserve personnel to accomplish the mission. How does the job get done? The over 1700 Auxiliarists in 8th Western Rivers volunteered and were called upon for help. Members of the Auxiliary have been supporting MSO St. Louis since 9/11 with harbor, or should we say river, patrols and Auxiliary air overflights, but more assistance was needed. The CO, CDR Suzanne Englebert asked for, and received, volunteers from the Auxiliary to train to supplement the inspection teams needed for MTSA. Three 3-day training sessions were held in St. Louis, MO, St. Paul, MN, and Bettendorf, IA. Each session included active duty, reserve and Auxiliary personnel and covered the details of the new regulations. These people were then divided into Tiger Teams to do the inspections. Auxiliarists will work with the team when it arrives in their local area and can provide much needed local knowledge. Auxiliarists have also been trained to provide support in various other mission areas as MARSEC (Maritime Security) levels increase.
MSO San Francisco is also using Auxiliarists to support MTSA. They have assisted with training materials for the Coast Guard members responsible for MTSA compliance and are working with the Facilities, Port State Control and Domestic Inspections branches. The Auxiliary also participates in MTSA outreach spot checks. These are harbor patrols designed to help answer the questions that a facility might have so they will be better able to meet the new security requirements. In Port State Control (foreign vessel inspections) the Auxiliary has assumed some of the dispatch/vetting responsibilities, which allows the Active duty and MTSA Reservists to dedicate more time and resources to their other responsibilities. As July 1st approaches, this assistance allows the active and reserve forces to continue to conduct safety inspections and to complete the new required security inspections in a more timely and efficient manner. MSO San Francisco also has an Auxiliarist who is working in the Inspection Branch (domestic vessels). That assistance is proving to be invaluable with the increased workload that has occurred with the advent of MTSA.
MSO Houston is using Auxiliarists to conduct voluntary Uninspected Tow Vessel inspections. This program is vitally important to the safety and security of our nation’s inland waterways. As the title indicates, these vessels are not required to be inspected on a regular basis, however, this does not relieve them of the need comply with requirements detailed in the Code of Federal Regulations. The voluntary inspection conducted by the specially trained Auxiliary members helps the vessel meet federal requirements for safety, for compliance with the MTSA and ensures the crew is properly licensed. These are only a few examples of how the Auxiliary is supporting Coast Guard efforts to meet the requirements of MTSA. There are over 40 Marine Safety Offices spread across the United States and each of them has the same mandate to bring their local maritime community into compliance with the Maritime Transportation Security Act. The challenge for the Coast Guard Auxiliary is to “step up to the plate” and actively assist our gold side companions in meeting their increased responsibilities.
Importance of “Best Practices” Because of the importance of this program, the Auxiliary national MS staff will be soliciting “Best Practices” from all DSOs-MS, from any Auxiliarist who might be participating in an MTSA program and from the MSOs. A Best Practice is any activity involving the Auxiliary in direct support of the Coast Guard’s implementation of MTSA. The Best Practices will be published in a monthly bulletin published by the National “M” Department. If you have an MTSA Best Practice example please submit it to: Greg Kester, DVC-MS kester@televiso.com
Best Practices Bulletin Number 3 - MSO San Francisco Bay Assessing the Situation Immediately after 9/11, RADM Hereth, then Captain of the Port for MSO San Francisco Bay, realized there was more work to be done than personnel to accomplish it. He called on the Coast Guard Auxiliary for assistance. That call continued, and expanded, after CAPT Gerald Swanson relieved him. LT Doug Ebbers was assigned as liaison between the Auxiliary and the MSO and directed to see where the Auxiliary could be of assistance. The Approach Taken Initially, Coast Guard Auxiliarists were called upon to act as drivers to transport Sea Marshals to and from their assigned vessels. Auxiliarists were also trained to stand special communications watches for the Sea Marshals. This relieved regular watchstanders to continue their normal duties. LT Ebbers worked with Auxiliary MS staff members to determine where the Auxiliary could be of most immediate help and also where, with additional training, they could gain the specialized skills to be of assistance. The most immediate need was for assistance with infrastructure patrols. MSO San Francisco Bay's Area of Responsibility covers an area from Monterey Bay to the Oregon border and from the Pacific coast to the western Colorado border. Auxiliarists reside in many of the outlying areas and are able to provide these patrols, thus eliminating the need to send Active Duty or Reserve members out from Alameda. Classroom training was provided to an additional 32 Auxiliarists in Harbor Safety Patrols in July 2004 and On the Job training continues. Several Auxiliarists have completed the Auxiliary Assistant Harbor Safety Specialist PQS and others continue to work on their qualification. Additionally, it was determined that assistance was needed in the area of Port State Dispatcher. This position helps determine which foreign flagged vessels need to be boarded for safety and/or security needs. Training is provided on an individual basis to those Auxiliarists interested. Currently, 2 Auxiliarists are working as Port State Control dispatchers. Auxiliarists are also assisting the Facilities Branch with both safety and security inspections. On the Job training is provided on an individual basis. One Auxiliarist has completed the Assistant Facility Security Inspector PQS and 7 more are in the process. Auxiliarists also are working with the Container Inspection Branch as part of Container Inspection Teams. Next Steps Staff from the MSO and District 11 North MS Staff Officers will continue to work together to assess the needs of the MSO to find where the interests and abilities of members of the Auxiliary can fill those needs. Training will continue to be provided by the MSO as needed.
MSO Augmentation - Watchstanding and More Released on May 12, 2005. ALCOAST 255/05 announced "THE RELEASE OF SIX NEW AND ONE REVISED MARINE SAFETY, SECURITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SPECIFIC AUXILIARY QUALIFICATIONS (PQS). THE SIX NEW QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: PORT STATE CONTROL BOARDING TEAM ASSISTANT (AUX-AEI), ASSISTANT CONTINGENCY PREPAREDNESS SPECIALIST (AUX-ACP), ASSISTANT LICENSE AND DOCUMENT EXAMINER (AUX-LDEX), ASSISTANT LICENSE AND DOCUMENT EVALUATOR (AUX-LDEV), PORT STATE CONTROL DISPATCHER (AUX-PSC) AND UNINSPECTED TOWING VESSEL EXAMINER (AUX-UTV). THE ASSISTANT FACILITIES INSPECTOR (AUX-EU) QUALIFICATION WAS UPDATED TO INCLUDE MARITIME SECURITY INSPECTION JOB TASKS." The sixteen PQS manuals now available are: AUX-ACP . . . . . Assistant Contingency Preparedness Specialist AUX-AEI . . . . . Port State Control Boarding Team Assistant AUX-CI . . . . . Assistant Container Inspector AUX-ED . . . . . Assistant Pollution Investigator AUX-EK . . . . . Assistant Harbor Safety Specialist AUX-ET . . . . . Assistant Pollution Response Specialist AUX-EU . . . . . Assistant Facilities Inspector AUX-LDEV . . . . . Assistant License & Document Evaluator AUX-LDEX . . . . . Assistant License & Document Examiner AUX-LR . . . . . Assistant Liferaft Inspector AUX-MEES . . . . . Marine Environmental Education Specialist AUX-MSAM . . . . . Marine Safety Administrative & Management Specialist AUX-MSW . . . . . Marine Safety Watchstander AUX-PSC . . . . . Port State Control Dispatcher AUX-UPV . . . . . Uninspected Passenger Vessel Examiner AUX-UTV . . . . . Uninspected Towing Vessel Examiner For example: In cases where the Auxiliarist augments as a Marine Safety Watchstander he/she is intended to be a conduit for receiving, passing, and recording information -- including information related to OPR and MARSEC operations conducted by the MSO to which assigned. He/she is expected to be able to follow directions and to conduct activities described in the unit Quick Response Sheets (QRS). Upon successful completion of the personal qualifications, a person will hold the minimum competencies necessary to complete a Marine Safety Watch. Previously ALCOAST 262/03 announced increased Auxiliary support for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Protection Program, and promulgated the PQS requirements for a number of positions Auxiliarists could fill at MSO commands:Highlights of ALCOAST 262/03 are also available as a PowerPoint presentation in Adobe Acrobat format.
Armed Coast Guard Sea Marshals board and
inspect ships that are 12 miles or more offshore to make sure they are
safe to enter port. The
Sea Marshal
Program began in San Francisco shortly after the terrorist attacks of
Sept. 11 as a way to control the movement of ships arriving at U.S. ports.
The Sea Marshals provide a visible, credible
deterrent to ship board terrorism while maintaining positive control of a
ship’s wheelhouse. They also provide security for the Bar Pilots and
provide immediate response if a problem occurs.
Auxiliarists augmenting at
MSO Sea Marshal offices as
Comms Watchstanders fill the vital roles of maintaining communications with
deployed Sea Marshals during their transits, and transporting them to and
from their ships. They also provide landline communications support, and
administrative support as required.
PQS requirements for Auxiliarists are determined by the
MSO to which they are assigned.
Because of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the Maritime Security (MARSEC) functions of the Coast Guard have taken on a new more urgent posture. Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is a critical, developing component, encompassing a Maritime Homeland Security Strategy (MHLS) to detect, deter, disrupt and intercept terrorist threats across the maritime domain. This includes port and domain awareness with 55 cutters, 42 aircraft and hundreds of small boats patrolling 361 major ports and coastlines. Included in the MDA posture is changing the 24-hour Notice of Arrival requirement to 96 hours to increase port domain awareness. And initiating three scalable Maritime Security (MARSEC) postures for increased attention: MARSEC 1-New Normalcy; MARSEC 2-Heightened Risk; and MARSEC 3-Incident Imminent. Trying to locate and communicate with a ship or boat along the waters of the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Great Lakes up to 20 miles offshore (and on interior waterways) is harrowing at best. The Coast Guard’s National Distress and Response System (NDRS) monitors calls and coordinates operations. The current NDRS system, now in the process of being upgraded, covers about 14 percent of the total area. The Coast Guard cannot hear weak distress calls from certain areas, and other weak-signal calls are subject to being “stepped on” by a stronger signal, overridden and not heard. The new National Distress and Response System Modernization Project (Rescue 21), once fully deployed, will reduce the 14 percent no-coverage gap to less than 2 percent. A mariner will make the equivalent of a ‘911’ call for help and the Coast Guard will be able to quickly pinpoint the location of the caller, identify the closest vessel(s) and send help faster than it can today. |
Addressing port safety and security under auspices of Maritime
Domain Awareness/Operation Patriot
Readiness (MDA/OPR)is one of the primary missions of the
