Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Abbreviation MCA
Legal status Executive agency
Purpose Maritime Regulator
Location
Region served
United Kingdom coast
Chief Executive
 Sir Alan Massey
Parent organisation
 Department for Transport
Website www.gov.uk/mca

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom working to prevent the loss of lives at sea and is responsible for implementing British and international maritime law and safety policy. It is also responsible for land based search and rescue helicopter operations from 2015.[1]

Its responsibilities include coordinating search and rescue (SAR) on the coastline and at sea through Her Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG), ensuring that ships meet international and UK safety standards, monitoring and preventing coastal water pollution and testing and issuing Merchant Navy Certificates of Competency (licences) for ships' officers and crew to STCW requirements. The organisation is led by Sir Alan Massey, its Chief Executive, who took up post in July 2010.[2] The MCA are chiefly responsible for the syllabus and national training standards issued by the Merchant Navy Training Board (based at the UK Chamber of Shipping).[3]

The MCA has three distinct "outward facing" elements - provision of search and rescue 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".

See also

References

  1. ↑ About us, MCA, GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Organisation Chart , Department for Transport. Retrieved on 2010-08-11.
  3. ↑ "MNTB - Mission and Vision". Retrieved 3 July 2016.
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