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When answering the question “What kind of Maritime Crisis Management System (MCMS) do we need?” a useful tool is provided by the system approach. The traditional system approach, presented by the sequence “system goal (goals) definition – goal supporting strategy development – system technology and structure elaboration,” is not applicable to the process of MCMS analysis due to many reasons. The paper proposes an alternative method to study the MCMS functional aspects. The proposed approach describes the functioning of MCMS on the background of the Maritime Security Negative Factors (MSNF) evolution. The MSNF evolution is represented as a life cycle that follows the sequence: “emergence of maritime security challenges – evolution to risks – formation of threats.” The MCMS functioning is described by “Observation – Orientation – Decision – Action” (OODA) loops performed by the system in reaction to the negative factors and their evolution.