SSO Threat Assessment & Risk Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'vulnerability' in the context of a Ship Security Assessment?
- A known security incident that occurred on the vessel
- A weakness that could be exploited by a threat actor (Correct answer)
- A crew member who lacks security training
- An area of the ship that is difficult to navigate
Correct answer: A weakness that could be exploited by a threat actor
A vulnerability is any weakness or gap in security measures that could be exploited by a hostile actor to compromise ship security.
Question 2: Under Security Level 3, which action is most appropriate for the Ship Security Officer?
- Maintaining normal security watch rotations
- Implementing all measures specified in the Ship Security Plan for Level 3 (Correct answer)
- Requesting a Declaration of Security from the nearest port
- Reducing crew access to secure areas only
Correct answer: Implementing all measures specified in the Ship Security Plan for Level 3
At Security Level 3, the SSO must implement all specific security measures identified in the SSP for that level, as an imminent attack is probable or has occurred.
Question 3: Which parties may request a Declaration of Security?
- Only the port facility
- Only the ship's Master
- Either the ship or the port facility (Correct answer)
- Only the Contracting Government
Correct answer: Either the ship or the port facility
Either the ship or the port facility may request a Declaration of Security when they believe their interface presents a security risk requiring formal documented agreement.
Question 4: What is the role of the Company Security Officer (CSO) in the Ship Security Assessment process?
- The CSO has no role in the SSA process
- The CSO is responsible for ensuring the SSA is conducted by qualified personnel (Correct answer)
- The CSO approves the SSA on behalf of the flag state
- The CSO only reviews the SSA after it is completed by the SSO
Correct answer: The CSO is responsible for ensuring the SSA is conducted by qualified personnel
The CSO is responsible for ensuring that the Ship Security Assessment is properly conducted, either personally or through qualified security professionals.
Question 5: How is 'risk' most accurately defined in maritime security?
- The probability that a security incident will occur
- The combination of the likelihood of a threat and its potential consequences (Correct answer)
- The severity of damage caused by a security breach
- The number of security vulnerabilities identified in an assessment
Correct answer: The combination of the likelihood of a threat and its potential consequences
Risk in maritime security is defined as the combination of the probability of a threat occurring and the severity of the consequences if it does.
Question 6: A Ship Security Assessment must include an evaluation of which of the following?
- Crew salary scales and employment contracts
- Existing security measures, procedures, and operations (Correct answer)
- Cargo pricing and commercial agreements
- Weather routing and navigation plans
Correct answer: Existing security measures, procedures, and operations
The SSA must evaluate all existing security measures, procedures, and operations to identify their strengths and weaknesses relative to identified threats.
Question 7: What should a Ship Security Officer do immediately upon receiving credible information about a specific threat to the vessel?
- Wait until arriving at the next port before reporting
- Notify the Master and Company Security Officer and implement appropriate security measures (Correct answer)
- Independently investigate the threat before reporting it
- Dismiss the information if the ship is already at Security Level 1
Correct answer: Notify the Master and Company Security Officer and implement appropriate security measures
The SSO must immediately notify the Master and CSO upon receiving credible threat information so that appropriate security level measures can be implemented without delay.
SSO Threat Assessment & Risk Management 2
What is a 'vulnerability' in the context of a Ship Security Assessment?