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33 CFR § 104.285 - Security measures for monitoring.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t33/s104.285"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "33 CFR § 104.285 - Security measures for monitoring."
title_number: 33
title_name: "Navigation and Navigable Waters"
section_number: "104.285"
section_name: "Security measures for monitoring."
chapter_name: "COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY"
subchapter_number: "H"
subchapter_name: "MARITIME SECURITY"
part_number: "104"
part_name: "MARITIME SECURITY: VESSELS"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "46 U.S.C. 70051, 70116, Chapter 701; 33 CFR 1.05-1, 6.04-11, 6.14, 6.16, and 6.19; DHS Delegation No. 00170.1, Revision No. 01.3."
regulatory_source: "USCG-2003-14749, 68 FR 39302, July 1, 2003, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "104"
---

# 104.285 Security measures for monitoring.

(a) *General.* (1) The vessel owner or operator must ensure the implementation of security measures and have the capability to continuously monitor, through a combination of lighting, watchkeepers, security guards, deck watches, waterborne patrols, automatic intrusion-detection devices, or surveillance equipment, as specified in their approved Vessel Security Plan (VSP), the—

(i) Vessel;

(ii) Restricted areas on board the vessel; and

(iii) Area surrounding the vessel.

(2) The following must be considered when establishing the appropriate level and location of lighting:

(i) Vessel personnel should be able to detect activities on and around the vessel, on both the shore side and the waterside;

(ii) Coverage should facilitate personnel identification at access points;

(iii) Coverage may be provided through coordination with the port or facility; and

(iv) Lighting effects, such as glare, and its impact on safety, navigation, and other security activities.

(b) *Maritime Security (MARSEC) Level 1.* At MARSEC Level 1, the vessel owner or operator must ensure the implementation of security measures, which may be done in coordination with a facility, to:

(1) Monitor the vessel, particularly vessel access points and restricted areas;

(2) Be able to conduct emergency searches of the vessel;

(3) Ensure that equipment or system failures or malfunctions are identified and corrected;

(4) Ensure that any automatic intrusion detection device sets off an audible or visual alarm, or both, at a location that is continuously attended or monitored;

(5) Light deck and vessel access points during the period between sunset and sunrise and periods of limited visibility sufficiently to allow visual identification of persons seeking access to the vessel; and

(6) Use maximum available lighting while underway, during the period between sunset and sunrise, consistent with safety and international regulations.

(c) *MARSEC Level 2.* In addition to the security measures required for MARSEC Level 1 in this section, at MARSEC Level 2, the vessel owner or operator must also ensure the implementation of additional security measures, as specified for MARSEC Level 2 in the approved VSP. These additional security measures may include:

(1) Increasing the frequency and detail of security patrols;

(2) Increasing the coverage and intensity of lighting, alone or in coordination with the facility;

(3) Using or increasing the use of security and surveillance equipment;

(4) Assigning additional personnel as security lookouts;

(5) Coordinating with boat patrols, when provided; and

(6) Coordinating with shoreside foot or vehicle patrols, when provided.

(d) *MARSEC Level 3.* In addition to the security measures for MARSEC Level 1 and MARSEC Level 2, at MARSEC Level 3, the vessel owner or operator must ensure the implementation of additional security measures, as specified for MARSEC Level 3 in the approved VSP. These additional security measures may include:

(1) Cooperating with responders and facilities;

(2) Switching on all lights;

(3) Illuminating the vicinity of the vessel;

(4) Switching on all surveillance equipment capable of recording activities on, or in the vicinity of, the vessel;

(5) Maximizing the length of time such surveillance equipment can continue to record;

(6) Preparing for underwater inspection of the hull; and

(7) Initiating measures, including the slow revolution of the vessel's propellers, if practicable, to deter underwater access to the hull of the vessel.

[USCG-2003-14749, 68 FR 39302, July 1, 2003, as amended at 68 FR 60514, Oct. 22, 2003]