Ship Security Alert System described as “almost useless”

Danica White - Attacked by pirates and SSAS failed to bring assistance

The first global study into the effectiveness of the IMO required Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) by Singapore’s Rajaratnam School of International Studies has concluded that the system is virtually worthless.  Amendments to the SOLAS Convention, required most merchant ships to be fitted with a SSAS system to enable crew members to silently alert authorities ashore of a terrorist or security incident on board the vessel anywhere in the world.  Marred by numerous false alarms, slow response times from government agencies, and international confusion, the system has proved to be much more difficult to enact and control.  Instead, the SSAS concept has proved to be unreliable, and extremely slow.  In the one case where the SSAS was the only means used to obtain assistance in a real terrorist/pirate attack, the alert message was never received by the necessary organizations.  This incident took place on 1 June 2007 on board the Danish vessel DANICA WHITE.  The SSAS concept demonstrates the complexity that the IMO faces in regulating such an international industry.