D.11.2 - Water transportation

Water Transportation involves the activities related to ensuring the availability of transit and the safe passage of passengers and goods over sea and water.

Note: The protection of maritime transportation from deliberate attack is included in the Transportation Security information type under the Homeland Security mission area. The general recommended security categorization for the water transportation information type is as follows:

Security category

D.11.2 - Water transportation = {(confidentiality, Low), (integrity, Low), (availability, Low)}

Confidentiality Low

The confidentiality impact level is the effect of unauthorized disclosure of water transportation information on the ability of responsible agencies to ensure the availability of transit and the safe passage of passengers and goods over sea and water. The protection of water transportation from deliberate attack is included in the Transportation Security information type under the Homeland Security mission area. Some regulatory and tariff enforcement functions associated with the safe passage of passengers and goods over sea and water involve relatively sensitive information. These are included in Law Enforcement. In most cases, unauthorized disclosure of water transportation information will have only a limited adverse effect on agency operations, assets, or individuals. Special Factors Affecting Confidentiality Impact Determination: Unauthorized disclosure of accident investigation information that has not been adequately researched, coordinated, or edited can result in serious economic harm to individuals and to corporations. Loss in public confidence is a further potential consequence. Additionally, some information associated with water transportation functions is proprietary to corporations or subject to privacy laws. In such cases, the confidentiality impact resulting from unauthorized disclosure can be moderate. Some military sea and water transportation information is national security information and is outside the scope of this guideline. Recommended Confidentiality Impact Level: The provisional confidentiality impact level recommended for water transportation information is low.

Integrity Low

The integrity impact level is based on the specific mission and the data supporting that mission, not on the time required to detect the modification or destruction of information. In most cases, the adverse effects of unauthorized modification or destruction of water transportation information on agency mission functions and public confidence in the agency will be limited. Special Factors Affecting Integrity Impact Determination: Some water and sea transportation functions are time-critical (e.g., distress signals, docking operations, collision avoidance, warnings of hazardous weather or sea conditions). Unauthorized modification or destruction of time-critical information necessary to these functions can result in large-scale property loss and in loss of human lives. Such information would have a high integrity impact level. Communications management (e.g., frequency management) information also needs to be included in water transportation integrity impact considerations. There may be circumstances when errors in frequency assignment information can result in an inability for Federal government agencies to communicate with state or local government activities. The subsequent loss of communications capabilities can result in life threatening situations. Such information would have a high integrity impact level. Recommended Integrity Impact Level: The provisional integrity impact level recommended for water transportation information is low.

Availability Low

The availability impact level is based on the specific mission and the data supporting that mission, not on the time required to re-establish access to water transportation information. Most water transportation processes are tolerant of reasonable delays. In most cases, disruption of access to water transportation information can be expected to have only a limited adverse effect on agency operations, agency assets, or individuals. Special Factors Affecting Availability Impact Determination: Some water and sea transportation functions are time-critical (e.g., distress signals, docking operations, collision avoidance, warnings of hazardous weather or sea conditions). Loss of availability of time-critical information necessary to these functions can result in large-scale property loss and in loss of human lives. Such information would have a high integrity impact level. Recommended Availability Impact Level: The provisional availability impact level recommended for water transportation information is low.