VOLUME I Multinational Maritime Tactical Instructions and Procedures

contact or to update previous information. A CRG should be positioned in such a way that a minimum notice
period of 36 hours is available to merchant ships to contact their owners/operators for onward passage
instructions before reaching the area of operations (AOO)/NCAGS area/SRA. The CRG will normally be
represented as a line of latitude or longitude. For practical purposes a minimum distance of 600 nautical
miles (nm) should be observed.
i. Accompaniment. Accompaniment is a voluntary arrangement under which participating
ships may be organized for passage through a specific area of increased risk, such as an SRA, in company
with military assets. The NCAGSORG will facilitate the military and merchant aspects of accompaniment
with the MCC.
j. Lead Through. The NCAGSORG can recommend and facilitate lead-through operations with
the Mine Warfare Commander.
10005 NCAGS ORGANIZATION
a. NCAGS can be implemented at any stage of an operation in accordance with ATP 2, Volume I.
Early implementation is strongly advised as it may take some time for NCAGS to become fully effective.
b. The conduct of NCAGS is vested in the NCAGSORG that supports both military commanders
and merchant shipping employing procedures that are described in ATP 2, Volumes I and II.
10006 ELEMENTS OF THE NCAGS ORGANIZATION
MTP 1(D), Vol. I
a. NCAGS Commander (NCAGS CDR). The NCAGS CDR will be the officer assigned to
command the NCAGSORG. He will plan and execute NCAGS and will promulgate the OPTASK
NCAGS.
b. Staff Officer NCAGS (SO NCAGS). An experienced officer who augments military staffs at
all levels to provide expertise and advice to the command on all aspects of NCAGS as they affect the planning
and execution of operations.
c. NATO Shipping Centre (NSC). A permanent operational organization based at HQ
NAVNORTH, the NSC is tasked with establishing and maintaining links with the military, merchant shipping,
NSA, and international maritime agencies. The NSC’s missions are:
(1) Collect and process merchant shipping factual and movement data and develop an accurate
shipping picture of relevant merchant ships in order to support the NCAGS CDR/military commander
and facilitate his operations.
(2) Advise merchant shipping of potential risks and identify possible interference with maritime
operations.
d. NCAGS Unit. A team of NCAGS personnel, deployed ashore or afloat to provide specific local
NCAGS services including the gathering of local merchant shipping information, providing guidance to
merchant ships, and co-operating with and advising local merchant shipping.
e. Shipping Co-operation Point (SCP). The SCP is multi-functional and where a larger
NCAGS staff will provide the means to brief merchant shipping on risk, routing and organization for protection.
The SCP will, depending on the level of an operation, encompass co-ordination, co-operation or
control when Naval Supervision of Merchant Ships is authorized. The location of SCPs will be at the discretion
of the NCAGS CDR and could be ashore or afloat. When established an SCP will manage and administer
NCAGS units in its AOO.
10-3 CHANGE 2