Ship Security Alert Systems Suppliers

A ship security alert system is the silent alarm required by SOLAS. Under SOLAS Chapter XI-2 Regulation 6 and the ISPS Code, most seagoing ships have to carry an SSAS that, when activated, sends a covert security alert ashore without sounding any alarm on board, without signalling nearby ships, and without giving away that it has been triggered. It is the crew's way of telling the company and the flag that the ship is under threat from piracy or hijack while giving nothing away to the people responsible. Ship security alert system suppliers provide these units and the activation points that arm them.

A Covert Alert, Not a Distress Call

What sets the SSAS apart from every other alarm on the ship is that it stays hidden. Where a GMDSS distress alert is meant to be heard by every station in range, the SSAS is the opposite: it sends the ship's identity and position quietly to a shore recipient, the company security officer and the flag administration, and to no one else. The rules ask for at least two activation points, one on the bridge and one elsewhere, sited so they can be reached but not spotted, and the system has to keep alerting until it is reset so a single discovered button does not end the alarm. It is a security tool rather than a safety one, and it is checked as part of the ship's ISPS compliance.

A Dedicated Unit or an Inmarsat C Terminal

The requirement is met in more than one way, and what a ship buys depends on what it already carries:

• Inmarsat C or mini-C terminal - many ships meet the rule with SSAS software running on the same Inmarsat C terminal that carries their safety traffic.
• Dedicated SSAS unit - a standalone satellite unit that does nothing but the security alert, kept separate from the ship's other communications.
• Activation points - the concealed switches, on the bridge and elsewhere, that fire the alert.
• Position input - the GNSS feed that puts the ship's position into the alert message.

Choosing a System

Because the SSAS is a compliance fit rather than a performance one, the decision turns on the flag's requirements, whether the alert is monitored by the company or by a third-party service, and how the unit ties into the ship's existing satellite equipment. Brands in the market include Pole Star, Cobham Satcom, Mackay, and the Inmarsat C makers whose terminals double as the SSAS. Compare the ship security alert system suppliers below by brand and by whether you need a new unit, a distributor, or a reseller, and where a fitted system needs testing or repair, ship security alert system services handle that side.