Maritime Security Agency

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (Urdu: ميرى ٹاأم سكيور ٹى ايجنسى; reporting name: PMSA) is a law enforcement service and the one of the six uniform service branch of the Paramilitary command of Pakistan. The Maritime Security Agency is operationally tasked with conducting the maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the Pakistan military branches having the maritime law enforcement mission (with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters). The Maritime Security Agency is the executive regulatory agency of the Government of Pakistan operates under the Ministry of Defence (MoD) during peacetime, but it can be transferred to Pakistan Navy by the governmental orders during the time of war.

Adopting the genesis of the UN Convention on Law of the Sea in 1982, the agency was established in 1987 and gained its constitutional status in 1994 after Parliament ratifying the convention. The agency can conduct military operations under the Ministry of Defence and its legal authority differs from the other three armed services of Pakistan. The agency should not be confused with the Pakistan Coast Guard, which performs littoral patrolling of the coast line, not conducting operations in deep waters. The agency's roles and extends the area of responsibility by protecting the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Pakistan which is up to 200 nmi in the International waters, and operations in deep sea (including Search and Rescue) maritime safety, security, and stewardship. The agency's executive officer is designated as Director-General (DG) and holds a two-star rank, a Rear-Admiral in the Navy. The current director of the agency is Rear-Admiral Waseem Akram who took the directorship of the agency on 26 September 2011.

Mission
The mission of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency states:

"To assert and enforce national jurisdiction and sovereignty in the maritime zones in order to regulate and protect maritime interests of Pakistan"

Roles and Functions
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency has roles in maritime homeland security, maritime national and international law enforcement (MLE), search and rescue (SAR), marine environmental protection (MEP), and the maintenance of intracoastal and offshore aids to navigation (ATON). The agency is mandate to protect the fishing vessels and crew against any threat within the Maritime Zones (MZ).

The agency performs military operations authorized by the Ministry of Defence to protect the economical and maritime interest of Pakistan. The agency also provides security and assists the governmental agencies, international organizations and Navy itself for petroleum and other mineral exploration in Pakistan's naval zones. The agency coordinates the research of the Navy Hydrographic Department in the oceanographic research and other scientific activities.

Organizational headquarters
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) is usually a paramilitary branch of the Pakistan Navy, not a separate branch. The officers and personnel, including the equipments, are mostly derived from the Navy. Keeping the military code of the paramilitary command of Pakistan, its original number strength and inventory is classified but it expected to be consisting of approximately 5000 members. The headquarters of the agency is situated in Karachi. Since its inception, the agency's headquarters were located in different hired commercial buildings at different locations in Karachi. In 2007, the Navy Engineering Branch began the construction of the new headquarter building and completed the course of work in 2009. Finally, on 2010, the new building was occupied by the Navy on March 2010 and finally inaugurated on 15 January 2011 by Chief of the Naval Staff. The agency consists of a Director-General and it is commanded by a two-star rank, a Rear-Admiral seconded from Pakistan Navy. The Headquarter of the agency and personnel are placed under the command of Commander of Coastal Areas (COMCOAST) who usually supervise the operations for the Ministry of Defence.

Historical overview
Although the Pakistan Coast Guard was established by the Government of Pakistan under the command of Pakistan Army and operate by the Ministry of Interior, the Coast Guard was unable to conduct operations in far deep waters and execute law enforcement which was mainly been done by the Pakistan Navy. The Government of Pakistan adopted the genesis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982 and acquired an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 240000 sqmi. In order to provide protection to this vast area, the Pakistan Government decided to raise the agency under the Ministry of Defence consisting the members of Navy. The Maritime Security Agency (MSA) was formally inaugurated on 1 January 1987 and gained its constitutional status in 1997 after ratifying the UNCLOS. The agency implements the local and international laws in the EEZ, and provides surveillance against poaching by illegal vessels and unauthorized survey by foreign craft. It also conducts Search and Rescue missions, and implements measures for control of pollution and fishery protection.

Commissioned officers rank
The order of hierarchy, commissioned and non-commissioned ranks structure of Maritime Security Agency are same and as equivalent of Pakistan Navy (as the officers and personnel seconded to the Navy_. The MSA directly reports of the Commander Coast (COMCOAST).

{| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="center" width="100%" !colspan=12| Structure of the Commissioned officer rank of the Pakistan Navy

Ships and boats
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency is equipped with four corvettes, four fast response boat (FBP). The agency also operates three Britten-Norman Defender aircraft for the purposes of search and rescue and navigation.

Pakistan Maritime Security Agency currently operates former Pakistan Navy vessels and currently operates the following:
 * The PMSA operates four Corvettes built in Peoples Republic of China. The Huangpu Shipyard built the corvettes in 1988-89 and delivered the ships to the Maritime Security Agency in 1990, the date of commissioned of the ships.
 * PMSS Vehdat — she was built in Huangpu Shipyard in 1989 and commissioned on 13 June 1990
 * PMSS Nusrat — She was built in December 1989 at Huangpu Shipyard and commissioned as on 13 June 1990.
 * PMSS Rehmat — The ship was formally laid on 21 October 1988 in Huangpu Shipyard and commissioned on 29 December 1988
 * PMSS Barkat — She was laid on 21 October 1988 in Haungpu Shipyard and was commissioned on 29 December 1989


 * Nine Defender class fast response boats were donated by the United States. They were manufactured by SAFE Boats International.

Decommissioned ships
PMSS Nazim was decommissioned on 6 October 2010

Aircraft
The Maritime Security Agency operates only one squadron known as Squadron 93 MSA. The squadron was inaugurated on 23 June 1988 with the induction of Fokker F27 Friendship an interim measure, for surveillance at sea. The aircraft was placed in Jinnah Terminal for the purpose of logistics support. In 1993, the MSA acquired the Britten-Norman Defender at Mehran Naval Air Station. The aircraft operated by MSA are listed below:
 * Britten-Norman Defender— The MSA operates three aircraft of these generation.
 * Fokker F27 Friendship— Only one aircraft that is in service.