On-scene Coordinator Course 4-9-2014

Constanta, Romania 1-12 September 2014

On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) Course

Constanta, Romania
1 – 12 September 2014

Legal basis for SAR

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Legal basis for SAR
The responsibilities to render assistance to a distressed
vessel or aircraft are based on humanitarian
considerations and established international practice.
Specific obligations can be found in several conventions,
including the following UN and IMO Conventions:
• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
1982 (UNCLOS)
• The International Convention for the Safety of Life at
Sea 1974 as amended (known as SOLAS) and,
• The International Convention on Maritime Search and
Rescue 1979, as amended (known as the SAR Convention).

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Legal basis for SAR
• Annex 12 to the Convention on International Civil
Aviation
Other IMO instruments are:

the Global SAR Plan

The GMDSS Master Plan

The IAMSAR Manual, Volumes I, II and III

Resolutions, Circulars etc.
UNCLOS
Consists codification of rules of customary international
law applicable to the seas (international custom, as
evidence of a general practice accepted as law)

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Legal basis for SAR
UNCLOS
Shipmaster’s obligation to render assistance at sea

Article 98 of UNCLOS says:

”Every State shall require the master of a ship flying its flag,
in so far as he can do so without serious danger to the ship,
the crew, or the passengers ... to render assistance to any
person found at sea in danger of being lost …”

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Legal basis for SAR
UNCLOS
Obligation of coastal States
to promote the establishment of SAR services
Article 98 also imposes an obligation on States;
“… to promote the establishment, operation and
maintenance of an adequate and effective search and
rescue service regarding safety on and over the sea and,
where circumstances so require, by way of mutual regional
arrangements co-operate with neighbouring States for this
purpose”.

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Dedicated SAR units from various countries
Netherlands Spain

Canada Germany

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Legal basis for SAR
SOLAS
SOLAS Convention regulation V/33.1
(Chapter V Regulation 33.1, Distress situations: obligations and
procedures) says;

………. the “master of a ship at sea which is in a

position to be able to provide assistance, on receiving
a signal from any source that persons are in distress at
sea, is bound to proceed with all speed to their
assistance, if possible informing them or the search
and rescue service that the ship is doing so.”

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Legal basis for SAR
SOLAS
SOLAS Convention regulation V/7
(Chapter V, Regulation 7 Search and Rescue Services) says;
“Each contracting Government undertakes to ensure that
necessary arrangements are made for distress
communication and coordination in their area of
responsibility and for the rescue of persons in distress at
sea around its coasts.
These arrangements shall include the establishment,
operation and maintenance of such search and rescue
facilities as are deemed practicable and necessary…..".

OSC Course
Legal basis for SAR
SOLAS
SOLAS Convention regulation IV/5,
(Chapter IV, Regulation 5, Global maritime distress and safety
system identities) says;

Each Contracting Government undertakes to make

available, as it deems practical & necessary either
individually or in co-operation with other Contracting
Governments, appropriate shore-based facilities for
space and terrestrial radiocommunications having die
regard to the recommendations of the Organization.

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Legal basis for SAR
International Convention on Maritime Search and
Rescue 1979 (SAR Convention)
International Conference on
Maritime Search and Rescue,
held in Hamburg, Germany in
1979

Better known as
the SAR Convention

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Legal basis for SAR
(SAR Convention)
Parties to the SAR convention shall ……………

“as they are able to do so individually or in co-operation

with other States…, participate in the development of
search and rescue services to ensure that assistance is
rendered to any person in distress at sea.
On receiving information that any person is or appears to
be in distress at sea, the responsible authorities of a Party
shall take urgent steps to ensure that the necessary
assistance is provided...” (2.1)

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Persons in Distress
(SAR Convention)
Parties to the SAR
Convention shall further…..
…enter into SAR agreements
with neighbouring States
involving, inter alia, the
establishment of SAR regions,
the pooling of facilities,
establishment of common
procedures, entry of each
other’s SAR units into or over
their territory, training and
liaison visits.

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Legal basis for SAR
(SAR Convention)
And shall …..

Individually or in co-operation with other States
establish rescue co-ordination centres and sub-centres
as they consider appropriate (2.3.1)

Arrange for the receipt of distress alerts (2.3.2)

Be operational on a 24-hour basis (2.3.3)

Ensure the closest practicable co-ordination between
maritime and aeronautical services (2.4)

Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Falmouth, UK

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ICAO Convention on International Civil Avation

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Legal basis for SAR
And to be more specific
ANNEX 12
International Standards and Recommended Practices
Search and Rescue

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ANNEX 12
International Standards and Recommended Practices

This Annex is supplemented by the International

Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual
Volumes I, II and III, the purpose of which is to assist States
in meeting their search and rescue needs and obligations
accepted under the Convention on International Civil
Aviation.
These obligations, as they relate to the provision of SAR
services, are specified in this Annex as Standards and
Recommended Practices.

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Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO

 Global maritime SAR plan

 GMDSS Master Plan

 IAMSAR Manual

 Resolutions, Circulars, etc.

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Other instruments developed by IMO
The Global maritime SAR plan
The aim of the 1979 International Convention on
Maritime Search and Rescue was to develop a Global
maritime SAR Plan.
IMO organised a series of Regional conferences to
promote provisional agreement on a Global SAR Plan.
 Providing information on available SAR Services
 Accessible via IMO web site “Global Integrated
Shipping Information System”(GISIS)

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Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO
GMDSS Master Plan
 Providing information on GMDSS (radio communication)
shore based facilities
 Last publication was GMDSS.1/Circ.16, dated 5 February
2014
IAMSAR Manual
Jointly published by IMO and ICAO
The three-volume IAMSAR Manual provides guidelines for a
common aviation and maritime approach to organizing and
providing search and rescue (SAR) services.

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Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO
IAMSAR Manual

The regulations from the IMO & ICAO Conventions are

contained in the International Aeronautical and Maritime
Search and Rescue Manual (IAMSAR Manual)

Each volume can be used as a standalone document or,

in conjunction with the other two volumes, as a means to
attain full view of the SAR system.

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Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO
The three Volumes of the IAMSAR Manual

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Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO
IAMSAR Manual
• IAMSAR Manual Volume I,
Deals with Organization and
Management and discusses the global
SAR system concept, establishment and
improvement of national and regional
SAR systems, and co-operation with
neighbouring States to provide effective
and economical SAR services, mainly
intended for National (administrative)
use.

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Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO
IAMSAR Manual Volume I contains:

Chapter 1 General System concept

Chapter 2 System Components
Chapter 3 Training, Qualification, Certification and
Exercises
Chapter 4 Communications
Chapter 5 System management
Chapter 6 Improving Services

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Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO
IAMSAR Manual

• IAMSAR Manual Volume II Mission Co-

ordination assists personnel who plan
and co-ordinate SAR operations and
exercises, intended for RCC operations.

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IMO SAR Regulations
Other instruments developed by IMO
IAMSAR Manual Volume II contains:
Chapter 1 The Search and Rescue System
Chapter 2 Communications
Chapter 3 Awareness and Initial Action
Chapter 4 Search Planning and Evaluation Concepts
Chapter 5 Search Techniques and Operations
Chapter 6 Rescue Planning and Operations
Chapter 7 Emergency Assistance other than Search and
Rescue
Chapter 8 Conclusion of SAR Operations

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Other instruments developed by IMO
IAMSAR Manual

• IAMSAR Manual Volume III Mobile

Facilities is intended to be carried on
board rescue units, aircraft, and vessels to
help with performance of a search,
rescue, or on-scene co-ordinator function
and with aspects of SAR that pertain to
their own emergencies.

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Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO
IAMSAR Manual Volume III contains:

Section 1 Overview
Section 2 Rendering Assistance
Section 3 On-Scene Coordination
Section 4 On-Board Emergencies

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Purpose
The purpose of the International Aeronautical and
Maritime Search and Rescue Manual for Mobile Facilities
(Volume III), which is intended for carriage on board search
and rescue units, and aboard civil aircraft and vessels, is to
provide guidance to those who:
• operate aircraft, vessels or other craft, and who may be
called upon to use the facility to support SAR operations
• may need to perform on-scene co-ordinator functions
for multiple facilities in the vicinity of a distress situation
• experience actual or potential emergencies, and may
require search and rescue (SAR) assistance.

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SAR Co-ordination
The SAR system has three general levels of co-ordination:
 SAR co-ordinators (SCs) = (National level)
 SAR mission co-ordinators (SMCs) = (RCC’s)
 On-scene co-ordinators (OSCs)
On-Scene Co-ordinator
When two or more SAR facilities are working together on
the same mission, one person on-scene may be needed to
co-ordinate the activities of all participating facilities.

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Legal basis for SAR
SAR Co-ordination
The SAR Mission Co-ordinator (SMC) designates an OSC,
who may be the person in charge of :
 a search and rescue unit (SRU), ship, or aircraft
participating in a search, or
 a nearby facility in a position to handle OSC duties.
The person in charge of the first facility to arrive at the
scene will normally assume the OSC function until the SMC
arranges for that person to be relieved.
In this course we will focus on the tasks and role of the OSC

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Other instruments developed by IMO,
as mentioned before are resolutions, circulars, etc.
A few examples;

 A.851(20): General principles for ship reporting

systems

 A.705(17): Promulgation of maritime safety

information (MSI)

 A.801(19): Provisions of radio services for the

GMDSS

OSC Course
Legal basis for SAR
Other instruments developed by IMO
A.887(21): Establishment, updating and
retrieval of the information
contained in the registration
databases for the GMDSS
 MSC/Circ.803: Participation of non-SOLAS ships in
the GMDSS
 COMSAR.1/Circ.45: Guidance on distress alerts

 SAR.7/Circ.10: List of IMO documents and

publications which should be held
by a MRCC

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The Conventions, Resolutions, Circulars etc. form the

basis of the IMO regulations with regard to
Search and Rescue

This concludes my presentation on

the Legal basis for Search and Rescue

Any Questions ?

Thank you.

Kees Koning
IMO Consultant

Zwarte Dolfijn 21
1704 VR Heerhugowaard
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 72 572 6266
E-mail: kko_ hk@yahoo.com

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