Under the measures
adopted by the IMO in December 2002, all ships over 500
gross tonnes are required to be equipped with a Ship Security
Alert System (SSAS), which is capable of discreetly raising
the alarm to the relevant authorities and tracking the
vessel if the security of the vessel is compromised, such
as when it is attacked or hijacked.
The intent of the ship security alert system is to send
a covert signal or message from a ship that will not
be obvious to anyone on the ship other than those who
are aware of the alert mechanism. The procedures for
the security alert are agreed with the ship's administration
as part of the ship security plan and ideally should
be individual to the ship.
Should
the safety of the ship's crew and passengers be threatened
by a terrorist or pirate attack the (SSAS)
will give the crew the means to raise the alarm, without
anyone else on board knowing.
The alarm signal includes the ship's identity and position
and is sent to a shore based authority, which is authorised
to take appropriate action.
By using special software the ships movements can be
tracked on a shore based computer screen when the alarm
is activated. The same software licence can be used for
all ships in the fleet.
