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The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom that responsible for implementing British and international maritime law and safety policy. It works to prevent the loss of lives at sea and to prevent marine pollution. It is a subsidiary executive agency of the UK
GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 March 2016. Its motto is ''"Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas"''. The organisation is currently led by Damien Oliver.
The MCA was established on 1 April 1998 following a government merger of the UK Coastguard Agency and the UK Marine Safety Agency (MSA).
The MCA was led by Vice Admiral Sir Alan Michael Massey between 2010 and 2018. Brian Johnson then served as Chief Executive of the MCA between 2018 and 2022.
Department for Transport
The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The ...
and responsible through the Secretary of State for Transport to Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
. It is also responsible for land based search and rescue helicopter operations since 2015.About us, MCAGOV.UK. Retrieved 18 March 2016. Its motto is ''"Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas"''. The organisation is currently led by Damien Oliver.
Responsibilities
Its responsibilities include coordinatingsearch and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
(SAR) on the coastline and at sea through His Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG), ensuring that ships meet international and UK safety standards, monitoring and preventing coastal water pollution
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. ...
and testing and issuing Merchant Navy Certificates of Competency (licences) for ships' officers and crew to STCW
International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) sets minimum qualification standards for masters, officers and watch personnel on seagoing merchant ships and large yachts. STCW was adopte ...
requirements. The MCA is chiefly responsible for the syllabus and national training standards issued by the Merchant Navy Training Board (based at the UK Chamber of Shipping).
The MCA has three distinct "outward facing" elements - provision of search and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
and prevention activity through His 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 Organization
The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...
. MCA utilizes airborne assets in the form of helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and drones for SAR, and other, operations and is going to make greater use of these technologies under the UKSAR2G contract to be awarded in 2024.
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.
History
The MCA was established on 1 April 1998 following a government merger of the UK Coastguard Agency and the UK Marine Safety Agency (MSA).
The MCA was led by Vice Admiral Sir Alan Michael Massey between 2010 and 2018. Brian Johnson then served as Chief Executive of the MCA between 2018 and 2022.
See also
* Code of safe working practices * Merchant navy *Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
References
External links
* {{Authority control Water transport in the United Kingdom Executive agencies of the United Kingdom government Maritime transport authorities Sea rescue organisations of the United Kingdom Department for Transport British Merchant Navy