Institutional identity and purpose
About the ESAC system
A private, voyage-specific maritime security assessment and digitally verifiable certificate framework.
What an ESAC is
An Enhanced Security Assessment Certificate (ESAC) is a private, voyage-specific security assessment and digital certificate for a proposed maritime shipment. Within the Scylla & Charybdis platform, an authorized independent Persian Gulf Security Agency (PGSA) reviews the applicant, cargo, vessel, route, transit window, supporting evidence and other relevant information; may request modifications; and decides whether to grant or deny an application and whether an issued ESAC should later be suspended or revoked. When a certificate is issued, its public verification record can be used to check its cryptographic integrity, current platform status and recorded voyage details.
An ESAC is not a governmental permit, safe-conduct, immunity, command, guarantee of safe passage, sanctions clearance, insurance approval or substitute for any authorization required by a competent authority. It supplements rather than replaces sanctions screening, vessel vetting, insurance, contractual due diligence and compliance with applicable law.
Public pilot status: The public pilot uses the production workflow for controlled testing. Portal access, application submission, a PGSA decision, payment status or certificate issuance does not create governmental authorization or guarantee safe passage. A valid, current ESAC records only the platform’s private assessment for the specified voyage.
Independence and institutional separation
The Persian Gulf Security Agency (“PGSA”) within the Scylla & Charybdis ESAC system is an independent security and intelligence assessment agency. It collects, evaluates and collates information from an ecosystem of intelligence specialists and other lawful sources to assess ESAC applications and determine whether an ESAC should be granted, modified, suspended, revoked or denied.
The ESAC system and its PGSA are not associated with, endorsed by, directed by or acting on behalf of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority at pgsa.agency. The shared initials do not indicate any relationship. The ESAC system is also not an agency, instrumentality or representative of any state, sovereign authority, governmental body or other public authority.
Scylla & Charybdis respects the sovereignty of states and all lawful authorities. These limits apply to every application, decision, certificate and status recorded by the platform.
Passive assessment only
The ESAC PGSA has no military, paramilitary, law-enforcement, intelligence-operational, interdiction, enforcement or other operative capacity. It does not direct, commission, facilitate or participate in operations. Its role is limited to passive information gathering, analysis, assessment, recorded communication and certificate decisions.
The ESAC system is maintained at arm’s length from any organisation with operative capacity. It must not be controlled by, act for, provide material support to, or coordinate operations with a sanctioned person or entity, a proscribed terrorist organisation, or any other unlawful actor. Analysis of an actor from lawful sources does not create an association with or endorsement of that actor.
Phased development roadmap
The ESAC system is intended to develop in three phases, beginning with an immediate regional maritime need before expanding into wider global security and environmental applications.
The initial phase will focus on the Persian Gulf and the broader surrounding region. Its principal objective is to help facilitate the safe restart and continuation of commercial shipping while supporting wider peace-building, de-escalation and diplomatic efforts.
The second phase will develop ESAC as a global initiative addressing serious transnational maritime-security risks, with human trafficking, drug trafficking and piracy forming key areas of concern. Marketing, institutional engagement and regulatory advocacy will extend across regions including the Mediterranean, the Americas, Africa and Asia.
The third phase will extend the framework to fishing-related matters and other environmental and ecological concerns affecting maritime activity, marine ecosystems and responsible use of the oceans.
Crew Check-in and Crew Profile development
Crew Check-in infrastructure is under development. PGSA users can create Check-in requests during controlled pilot testing, but the public crew-facing client for submitting live photographs, location and timestamps is not yet operational. Check-in must not be presented as an available public service until that submission client is released.
The crew submission client, dedicated mobile app, broader Crew Profiles, Digital Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC) capabilities and streamlined security checks remain under development. They will be introduced only after the required identity, privacy, cybersecurity and regulatory safeguards are addressed.
Currency and payment development
The initial ESAC Processing Service Fee is calculated and denominated in United States dollars (USD). Under the initial settlement arrangement, received USD funds are converted to Australian dollars (AUD). This is a temporary launch-stage arrangement rather than a permanent single-currency model.
As the system develops, Scylla & Charybdis intends to support a range of lawful currencies and payment ecosystems, potentially including additional fiat currencies, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and other digital currencies. Any channel will be introduced only where operationally suitable and permitted by applicable banking, sanctions, anti-money-laundering, counter-terrorism-financing, tax and other regulatory requirements.
Sanctions, diplomacy and peaceful resolution
Unilateral sanctions, their effects and the methods used to evade them remain controversial, legally complex and politically contested issues. The ESAC system does not seek to endorse unlawful sanctions evasion or resolve those debates through operational involvement. Its primary objective is to help facilitate diplomatic engagement and a durable, peaceful resolution to the underlying disputes that give rise to sanctions, maritime disruption and conflict.
Humanitarian and peace-oriented purpose
Scylla & Charybdis intends that the majority of revenue generated by the ESAC system will be directed to humanitarian efforts in war-torn regions and to initiatives that advocate against policies leading to war and conflict. Revenue may also support related political and humanitarian initiatives consistent with applicable law, sanctions controls and the ESAC system’s independence from operational actors.