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In accordance with Section 4 of the Administrative Agreement about the Maritime Safety and Security Centre (MSSC), the personnel working at the Joint Emergency Reporting and Assessment Centre Sea (JERACS) are required to perform the following tasks:
Housing all of the maritime command forces under the same roof at JERACS ensures that the partners are able to intensively exchange information. JERACS is the point of contact to which the different agencies provide all of the information required to ensure maritime safety and security, and where this information is evaluated within the context of the relevant situation and forwarded to the responsible agencies. JERACS also has the capacity to initiate operational measures.
The associated operations are always managed by the respective agency that is technically and locally responsible both during day-to-day operations as well as in special situations.
Source: Erik Krüger, Federal Police, Federal Costums
One of the main responsibilities of the partners working in the MSSC is to monitor the North and Baltic Seas. Integrated Sea Surveillance is conducted by ships of network partners at sea, airborne surveillance, ship traffic messages (e.g. by pilots) and notices issued by traffic centres as central point of contacts for navigation (radar, AIS, radio communication).
Source: Waterways and Shipping Administration
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a radar vessel tracking system that makes it possible to exchange navigation data such as the destination harbour, planned arrival times and other statistical data such as the vessel’s name, type and dimensions. All internationally operating ships have to be fitted with an AIS by law, while recreational vessels do not. The data provided by the AIS can be accessed by other ships, but is also sent to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration’s AIS stations. The AIS and radar data is transmitted to the traffic control centres, who then visualise them on electronic nautical charts.
Source: European Maritime Safety Agency
Sea surveillance is carried out using craft of the network partners.
Source: Federal Office for Agriculture and Food
Source: Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration
Source: Waterways Police Hamburg
In the JERACS, the joint situation picture is maintained and permanently updated. Information and data that are relevant to all involved are displayed in digital form. This includes:
Based on all data and information available, the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies prepares a daily situation report for the JERACS. Specific situation reports of individual network partners will be provided taking into account original responsibilities and data protection aspects.
Situation pictures are compiled on a regular basis or as required.