Minimum Requirements for Ship Security Assessments (SSA) and Ship Security Plans (SSP)
Shipping Notice: CISN 08/2005
Published 18th May 2005, 3:57pm
To: Owners, Managers, Company Security Officers, Masters and Ship Security Officers of Cayman Islands Ships
1. Background
1.1. Compliance with Chapter XI-2 of SOLAS and the ISPS Code has been mandatory on qualifying ships1 since 1 July 2004.
1.2. The introduction of the ISPS Code represented a huge challenge for all involved, and one which was generally met with both commitment and professionalism.
1.3. Ship Security Plans (SSP) specifically developed to meet the requirements of the ISPS Code started to be implemented onboard ships during 2003 and now all qualifying ships are implementing an approved SSP.
1.4. During this period experience with implementing the ISPS Code has continued to grow. IMO has published guidance on implementation and has agreed many interpretations of the requirements of the Code itself.
1.5. Based on the knowledge gained during implementation (which includes evaluating the effectiveness of approved SSPs during onboard verifications), the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry has now published “Minimum Requirements for Ship Security Assessments and Ship Security Plans”.
1.6. These “Minimum Requirements” do not constitute any additional requirements beyond those contained in the ISPS Code, rather they clarify what is expected to meet the Code requirements.
2. Timetable
2.1. The “Minimum Requirements” will be applied to all Ship Security Plans which are submitted for initial approval after 01 July 2005.
3. Ship Security Assessment
3.1. See Appendix 1 & 3 of this Shipping Notice.
4. Ship Security Plan
4.1. See Appendix 2 of this Shipping Notice.
5. Previously approved Ship Security Plans
5.1. The majority of currently approved SSPs will not require any amendments to meet the “Minimum Requirements”.
5.2. Ship Security Plans which have been approved prior to 1 July 2005 do not need to be resubmitted for approval against these “Minimum Requirements”.
5.3. When submitting routine amendments to an approved SSP for approval, Company Security Officers must review these amendments against the “Minimum Requirements”.
5.4. When SSPs are periodically reviewed by the company in accordance with ISPS A/9.4.11, the “Minimum Requirements” should be taken into account when deciding if updating of the SSP is warranted.
5.5. Existing SSPs will be evaluated against these “Minimum Requirements” during the onboard verifications required by Section A/19 of the ISPS Code. If the SSP is not found to comply with the “Minimum Requirements” this will be brought to the attention of the CSO.
1. In the context of this Shipping Notice the term “ship” is used to refer to any vessel which is subject to SOLAS XI-2 and the ISPS Code.
These documents are published as PDF documents. For more information read the PDF guidelines.
Appendix 1: Ship Security Assessments | Appendix 2: Ship Security Plans | Appendix 3: Extract From The United States Coast Guard Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular NVIC 10-2
For further information contact: Corporate Communications