Designated security duties: access control, searches and security equipment (STCW A-VI/6-2)

5 lessons

No notes

Law and watchkeeping≈ 4 min read

Searching people, baggage, stores and the ship

1The lesson in plain words

In one sentence

A good search follows a set pattern. You look for threats, respect privacy and stop if you find a suspicious item.

Searching people, baggage, stores and the ship

What gets searched

The plan sets which people, bags, vehicles and stores (ship’s supplies) you search at each level. Look for weapons, explosives, drugs, stowaways and tampering: signs that something has been altered or damaged. Use the search area agreed with the port. Keep searched people and items apart from unchecked ones. At higher levels, searches increase and may cover part or all of the ship.

Persons and baggage

Explain the search and ask permission. Refusal may mean refusal of boarding. Use a metal detector or a pat-down search (a hand search over clothing). Use a same-sex searcher for a routine pat-down, with a witness. If none is available, keep boarding on hold and ask the SSO for instructions. Ask the owner to open bags themselves. Respect privacy and religious customs.

Stores and vehicles

Check deliveries against the ship’s order and inspect seals and packaging. Reject unexpected items and stow checked stores securely. For vehicles, check the driver, passengers and delivery papers separately. Have the driver open the cab, luggage and load spaces for inspection as your training and plan require. Check accessible hiding places and keep checked vehicles secure. Do not crawl beneath or dismantle a vehicle unless authorised and safe. Stop and report anything suspicious.

Searching the ship

Before sailing, or when there is a threat, the SSO organises a systematic search. Each team gets an area and a checklist. Work in pairs, search each space from floor to ceiling in a set pattern, and overlap with the next team. Look for stowaways, unknown packages, signs of tampering, loose panels and fresh paint or welding. Inspect void spaces (empty structural spaces) only from safe openings; enclosed-space entry requires the ship’s entry procedure.

If you find something

Do not touch, move or open a suspicious item. Mark the place, move away, keep others back and report to the SSO. A stowaway must be treated humanely: keep them safe, do not threaten them, and report to the master.

2Step by step

Searching a space on board

1
Take your assigned area, checklist, torch and radio, and search with a partner.
A plan avoids gaps; a partner gives safety and a witness.
2
Stop, listen and look around the whole space before you move anything.
Sounds and things out of place are easier to notice before you disturb the space.
3
Search authorised spaces in layers from deck level upward. Inspect voids from safe openings; enclosed-space entry requires the ship’s entry procedure.
A set pattern prevents gaps. A security-search assignment does not authorise enclosed-space entry.
4
If you find a suspicious item, stop the search. Do not touch it. Withdraw, keep others away and report from a safe location. Do not report the space clear.
Handling an item can set it off. A stopped search leaves an unresolved concern.
5
Report the search status. Only after a complete search finds nothing suspicious, report and mark the space clear as the plan requires. Report stopped or incomplete searches as such.
Accurate status tells the SSO which spaces are clear and which still need action.

3Key data

Pat-down: Same-sex searcher; if unavailable, hold boarding and ask SSO
Stores: Checked against the order, then stowed securely at once
Search pattern: Deck level upward; inspect voids only from safe openings
Suspicious item: Do not touch; mark, withdraw, report

4Key points

1
The plan sets what share of people, bags, vehicles and stores are searched at each level.
2
Explain, ask consent and respect privacy. Routine pat-down: same-sex searcher; otherwise hold boarding and ask the SSO.
3
Check stores against the order and stow them securely at once.
4
Search the ship in pairs, by area and in layers, overlapping with other teams.
5
Never handle a suspicious item; treat stowaways humanely and report.

5Frequent mistakes

Wrong: Search a passenger's bag yourself while they wait outside the room.
Right: Ask the owner to open it in front of you and a witness. It protects both of you.
Wrong: Carry a suspicious box to the deck so the experts can see it better.
Right: Never move it. Mark the place, leave, keep others away and report to the SSO.
Wrong: Stores delivered by the usual supplier can go straight to the storeroom.
Right: Check every delivery against the order and look for tampering before it comes aboard.

6Practice case & exam keys

Situation

During a search before sailing, you and a partner open a paint locker and find a sports bag that is not on the store list, with a cable sticking out of the zip.

Show the answer

Do not touch or open it. Step back out of the locker with your partner and keep others away. Note the exact position and description. Report to the SSO by radio from a safe distance, following any instruction on radio use near the item. Do not continue searching nearby until the SSO decides what to do.

Exam keys

Search rates are set in the SSP for each level; searched and unsearched people kept apart.
Persons: consent, same-sex searcher, witness, privacy; otherwise hold boarding and ask SSO. Owner opens bags.
Stores checked against the order and stowed securely; reject unexpected items.
Ship search: assigned areas, pairs, layers, overlap; never handle suspicious items.

Finish this unit

When you've read it, answer three questions. Get all three right to finish the unit; opening the page alone doesn't count.

My notes for this unit

No notes