So far in 2023, the JRCC has been involved in around 1,800 SSAS tests. The JRCC and the NMA agree that the situation is not satisfactory, and that something needs to be done.
Messages from the SSAS during functional testing should go to the Company Security Officer (CSO), and not to the JRCC.
"We ask shipping companies and recognised security organisations (RSO) to make sure that functional testing involve ships and the company’s emergency response organisation and the CSO. A functional test is a test of the technical equipment, and the resources of the JRCC should not be used for this purpose," says Thomas Angell Bergh, Head of Section of Operative Supervision at the NMA.
A circular and instructions with more information and details on the test procedures will be available shortly. The preliminary instructions say that SSAS testing involving the JRCC should not exceed one time per year.
In the experience of the NMA, most systems can be reprogrammed by the vessel’s Ship Security Officer (SSO) on board the vessel. This makes it easy for the SSO to change the system to prevent the functionality test from being submitted to the JRCC. If the reprogramming needs to be carried out by a service technician, the companies must organise this as soon as practicable. Records of the functional tests must be kept on board.
Increased number of SSAS tests
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre welcomes the new testing procedures.
"The JRCC handles these alarms while also coordinating other rescue operations within our area of responsibility. These tests require critical capacity that needs to be used in rescue operations where there is a real risk to life or health. For some time, the rescue operators have seen that SSAS tests have become more frequent. The majority of these tests are functional tests of the system on board, and the JRCC does not need to be involved," says Andreas H. Næsheim, Chief of Operations at the JRCC Southern Norway.
He emphasises that the change in the testing procedures, introduced by the NMA and the JRCC jointly, will not affect actual terror alerts.
Facts:
A Ship Security System (SSAS) is the ship's terror alert system. All ships with an international ship security certificate must have SSAS on board. On Norwegian-flagged ships, the alert must be programmed to notify the JRCC at Sola.
When the JRCC receives an alert from a ship, they must notify the company’s CSO as quickly as possible to learn about the security incident on board. If the terror alert is real, the JRCC will notify relevant authorities that form a part of the Norwegian emergency preparedness arrangement assisting in piracy or terror attacks on Norwegian ships.
The functionality of the terror alert must be tested on a regular basis ensure that it will work in critical situations. However, many companies have included the JRCC in this testing. This has proven to steal too much time and resources from the JRCC, who needs to prioritise real rescue missions.