Maritime and Coastguard Agency

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The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Logo
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Logo

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is a UK executive agency working to prevent the loss of lives at sea and it is responsible for implementing maritime safety policy. This involves coordinating search and rescue (SAR) at sea through Her Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG), ensuring that ships meet international and UK safety standards and monitoring and preventing coastal water pollution.

The MCA has three distinct "outward facing" elements - provision of SAR and prevention activity through Her Majesty's Coastguard, port and flag state control of shipping through a network of Marine Offices and the development of international standards and policy for shipping through the International Maritime Organisation.

The MCA has now established an Automatic Identification System (AIS) network around the UK coast, for real-time tracking and monitoring of shipping movements from the shore.

Its motto is "Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas".

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