Referat S14
Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 78
20359 Hamburg
Dr. Anja Eikermann
Phone: +49 40 3190-7420
Mail: maritime.security@bsh.de
Ship Security Plan
Ship Security Plan (SSP)
Every ship which is subject to the ISPS code must carry a ship security plan (SSP), approved by the administration. The SSP contains all security relevant information on the ship that ais required by the ISPS Code and describes, inter alia, the procedures to be followed and measures to be taken in case of security levels 1 to 3.
The company security officer (CSO) is responsible for the development and maintenance of the SSP (section 7, paragraph 1 of the "See-Eigensicherungsverordnung" - German Ordinance on Shipboard Security Measures). The ship security officer (SSO) is responsible for implementation of the measures and procedures described with that plan. In case of deficiencies in the implementation, sanctions may be imposed on the SSO or the ship. The SSP is a confidential document; you must protect it against unauthorized access and keep it safely locked (section 7, paragraph 5 of the "See-Eigensicherungsverordnung" - German Ordinance on Shipboard Security Measures).
Minimum requirements for a ship security plan (SSP)
The minimum requirements for the content of a SSP for seagoing ships flying the German flag are made mandatory with the ISPS Code (section 9 of part A and part B), in combination with article 3 paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Regulation (EC) no 725/2004 and the "See-Eigensicherungsverordnung" (German Ordinance on Shipboard Security Measures). In addition, national German requirements for SSPs must be complied with and the following pages from the BSH must be inserted.
On request the BSH provides a model SSP, which contains already the structural requirements and only needs to be completed with vessel- and company specific details. Please direct your request to the adjacent contact.
SSP - Approval of new plans
All plans submitted for newbuildings or for ships changing to the German flag are new plans. The BSH verifies and approves all new plans directly as long as the legal preconditions are fulfilled (section 7 paragraph 2 in combination with section 3 paragraph 5 of German "See-Eigensicherungsverordnung").
In addition, the ship owner/company have a Recognized Security Organisation (RSO) pre-verify the plan at their own cost. If the RSO confirms compliance of the plan with the legal requirements, the BSH carries out a final verification and approves the plan insofar as it complies with aforementioned provisions. The plan will be returned to the company after approval and issuance of the approval certificate. One copy remains with the BSH. The BSH informs the RSO by means of a copy of the notification of approval.
Please submit the following documents:
- Application for examination and approval of a ship security plan (SSP)
- preliminary SSP directly to the BSH (42) or alternatively to a RSO (including the ship security assessment - SSA),
- General Arrangement Plan
- Minimum Safety Manning Document
You can send the application without signature via e-mail to the BSH which is directly possible from the completed form: click the pdf-print button to create a pdf and use the toolbar option „file – attach to Email“. If you want to submit ship security plans or amendments in an electronic format, please contact the Referat S42. Please do not send these attachments via ordinary e-mail to the BSH.
SSP - approval of plan amendments
The BSH must be informed in writing about all amendments to plans which have already been approved (section 7 paragraph 4 of the "See-Eigensicherungsverordnung" (German Ordinance on Shipboard Security Measures). Substantial changes (in german only) must be approved and will be charged for, marginal changes are free of charge. Upon approval of the documents by the BSH the amended pages are returned to the CSO of the company marked with the approval stamp, in case of substantial changes together with a notification of approval and an invoice.
Please submit the following documents:
- Application for examination and approval of an amendment to the SSP,
- List of amendments as attachment to the application,
- amended parts of the ship security plan as attachment to the application
You can send the application without signature via e-mail to the BSH which is directly possible from the completed form: click the pdf-print button to create a pdf and use the toolbar option „file – attach to Email“. If you want to submit ship security plans or amendments in an electronic format, please contact the Referat S42. Please do not send these attachments via ordinary e-mail to the BSH.
Ship Security Assessment (SSA)
The ship security plan (SSP) is developed on the base of a ship security assessment (SSA). The company security officer (CSO) is responsible for the preparation of a risk assessment and possibly for its updating. Please observe also the notes in the German Verkehrsblatt 21/2003. The minimum scope of a ship security assessment is made mandatory with the ISPS code (section 8 of part A and part B).