Submitted by Ryan Owens, Chief, Domestic Ports Division

The Coast Guard is pleased to announce the establishment of an industry-led Maritime Sector Coordinating Council (MSCC). 

Sector Coordinating Councils (SCCs) are self-organized and self-governed councils that enable critical infrastructure owners and operators, their trade associations, and other industry representatives to interact on a wide range of sector specific strategies, polices, and activities.  SCCs coordinate and collaborate with Sector Specific Agencies and related Government Coordinating Councils (GCCs) to address critical infrastructure security and resilience polices and efforts for a specific sector. The MSCC is expected to collaborate with the Maritime sub-sector of the Transportation System Sector’s GCC.

The GCC/SCC structure is established under the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to provide a forum in which the government and private sector entities can jointly engage in a broad spectrum of activities to support and coordinate critical infrastructure security and resilience efforts. The use of the SCC/GCC structure is highly encouraged in each of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors established under Presidential Policy Directive 21–Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience.

More information on the GCC/SCC collaboration model can be found on the DHS website. Interested parties can contact Ms. Elle Stuart at Elle.Stuart@klgates.com for more information on the MSCC and how they can be part of the council.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.