MARSEC

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MARCSEC (MARitime SECurity) is North America’s three-level maritime security system used by the Bahamas, Canada, and the United States. The U.S. Coast Guard created MARSEC to provide clear, pre-planned, scalable responses to credible threats against ships, ports, and facilities under these jurisdictions. It helps assess possible terrorist activity in maritime transportation and targets. MARSEC works with the Department of Homeland Security’s security alert systems; if the NTAS issues an alert, the Coast Guard can adjust the MARSEC level as needed. Since 2005, Transport Canada also uses MARSEC levels under Canadian regulations. The system evolved from the former HSAS, which had three levels; today’s MARSEC levels are used in coordination with NTAS.