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that crews are prepared. Many systems and competency assurance. There is how vessel hardening is managed in appear to rely on assumed knowledge, also a need to move away from assump- practice. It shows that while visible de? - rather than measurable assurance. tions. Stated familiarity is not suf? cient. ciencies can be reduced through focused

Hardware ? ndings, although fewer in Crews must be able to demonstrate un- effort, the underlying system requires number, still highlight important risks. derstanding, and veri? cation processes greater attention. Vessel hardening is

Recurring issues include non-opera- must identify real gaps. not simply a set of measures. It is a sys- tional CCTV systems and missing or The FIC, concluding at the end of tem that must be consistently planned, degraded hardening materials such as March, provides valuable insight into controlled and veri? ed.

razor wire. These problems are often linked to weaknesses in inventory con- trol and maintenance. When equipment is not tracked, inspected and maintained within a controlled system, readiness cannot be con? rmed.

What Changed, What Did Not

The FIC period, covering October 2025 to February 2026, shows how these issues respond to focused atten- tion. Hardware ? ndings dropped sig- ni? cantly, from 17% to 9%, and visible implementation gaps, such as unsecured access points, were reduced. This dem- onstrates that targeted effort can improve physical readiness in the short term.

However, process-related ? ndings in- creased to 54%. The nature of the ? nd- ings also shifted. Fewer vessels were identi? ed without a hardening plan, but more were found with inadequate plans.

In particular, many plans did not specify the materials or quantities required for effective implementation.

This shift points to a deeper issue. Ad- dressing visible gaps does not resolve underlying system weaknesses. The presence of documentation alone is not enough. Plans must be complete, accurate and usable to support effective action.

Across both periods, a consistent pat- tern emerges. Process weaknesses re- main dominant. Human assurance is in- consistent. Hardware issues continue to recur, but they are rarely the root cause.

Vessel hardening readiness is funda- mentally a management system issue.

Improvement will depend on strengthening the systems that support implementation. This includes estab- lishing clear standards for vessel hard- ening plans, ensuring that inventory is controlled and veri? able, and introduc- ing structured approaches to training www.marinelink.com 9

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