“While search and rescue is one of the Coast Guard’s most well-known missions, crews do much more than save mariners in peril. … As a leading U.S. representative to the International Maritime Organization, a part of the United Nations, the Coast Guard is the driving force behind shipping safety, pollution prevention, and mariner training and certification standards,” according to the Coast Guard Maritime Safety Web page.
As part of the Department of Homeland Security, ports, waterways, and coastal security (PWCS) has taken on a new importance, supported by additional Coast Guard restrictions on what vessels and cargo can enter a U.S. harbor, with the Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) granted even wider discretion to enforce those regulations. For example, the COTP can declare inland waters in his AOR as “special security zones,” with commercial vessels required to report their movements to the nearest Coast Guard station, or even close a port in the face of an imminent threat.
“Commercial vessels are not the only boats on the water – more than 76 million recreational boaters share this space, as well. Our 35,000-person civilian volunteer branch – the Coast Guard Auxiliary – plays a central role in recreational boating safety, providing recreational boat inspections and teaching life jacket safety across the country. Coast Guard activities in support of maritime safety are inseparable from those we perform to protect the marine environment and economic waterways. The integration of stewardship, safety and security has saved many lives and helped secure our national security.”
Ensuring the safety of U.S. ports, coastlines, and navigable lakes and rivers has been part of the Coast Guard mandate from day one, growing in scope and importance with each new war in which the enemy posed a potential threat to American harbors. And as terrorist attacks throughout the world have demonstrated, the definitions of “security” and “safety” have, in many cases, become virtually synonymous for the 361 American ports and 95,000 statute miles of waterways under Coast Guard jurisdiction.
As part of the Department of Homeland Security, ports, waterways, and coastal security (PWCS) has taken on a new importance, supported by additional Coast Guard restrictions on what vessels and cargo can enter a U.S. harbor, with the Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) granted even wider discretion to enforce those regulations. For example, the COTP can declare inland waters in his AOR as “special security zones,” with commercial vessels required to report their movements to the nearest Coast Guard station, or even close a port in the face of an imminent threat.
The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 designated Coast Guard COTPs as Federal Maritime Security Coordinators. With that, the Coast Guard became the lead coordinating agency for all maritime security planning and operations to prevent or respond to attacks on or from U.S. waterways and ports.
The 65-foot inland buoy tender Elderberry, commissioned in 1954, transits through icy waterways near Petersburg, Alaska, while conducting aids to navigation missions. This inland buoy tender (WLI) is one of three tender classes – all of which have been referred to as the Coast Guard’s “Forgotten Fleet.” U.S. Coast Guard photo
Among the new regulations is one requiring vessels of more than 300 tons’ displacement to file notice within 96 hours of their estimated time of arrival in U.S. waters (24 hours for short voyages). Ships carrying liquefied natural gas are forbidden to enter American waters unescorted or to anchor near major cities. The potential damage and loss of life from a compromised liquefied natural gas tanker represent one of the best examples of the integration of maritime security and safety.
To help enforce its expanded safety and security programs, the Coast Guard has deployed dedicated Port Security Units (PSUs) around the United States or, if required by the departments of Defense or State, in overseas locations such as the Persian Gulf. PSUs are part of the service’s Deployable Operations Group (DOG), which also includes the Coast Guard equivalent of a SWAT team.
Maritime Security Response Teams (MSRTs) are reactive tactical units specializing in high-risk maritime law enforcement and counterterrorism, such as boarding and securing heavily armed vessels, especially in hostage situations. Another DOG component, Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSSTs), on the other hand, are proactive antiterrorism units tasked with preventing and defending against attacks.