National Competent Authority (NCA)

The body designated by Member States as being responsible for the management of the system at national level. It coordinates all the required actions to comply with the specifications described in the Interface Control Document. The NCA is often, but not always, the Maritime Administration within a Member State.

The NCA is the only national authority in contact with the European Union bodies for matters related to SafeSeaNet, and as such, takes part in the management and development of the system at EU level by participating in periodic reviews. The NCA is also responsible for designating Local Competent Authorities, and enabling and maintaining their access to the SafeSeaNet network.

Local Competent Authority (LCA)

The authorities and organisations designated by Member States to receive and transmit information pursuant to Directive 2002/59/EC, as amended. They are designated by their NCA for participation in the SafeSeaNet network and include port authorities, coastal stations, vessel traffic services, shore-based installations responsible for mandatory reporting systems approved by the IMO, and bodies responsible for coordinating search and rescue operations.

Other users

Following a decision in June 2010 by the High Level Steering Group, other EU bodies and Member State institutional users with an interest in maritime information may apply to become users of SafeSeaNet on a pilot project basis.