SAR Procedures

Global Maritime Distress & Safety System (GMDSS)

Enables the rapid,
automated alerting of
shore-based
communication and rescue
authorities – in addition to
ships in the immediate
vicinity – in the event of
distress or an emergency
situation at sea

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SAR Procedures- Mass Rescue Operations
IMO Definition:
A 'mass rescue operation' is 'characterised by the need for
immediate response to large numbers of persons in distress,
such that the capabilities normally available to the search
and rescue authorities are inadequate’.

IMRF guidance for Mass Rescue Operations is available on

their website.

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SAR RESOURCES
SAR Resources Organizations – Charity / Government
 Charities – particularly common in Europe – high
public esteem
 Generally operate in conjunction with
government agencies
 Some have partial government funding
 Government operated services – in many parts
of the world
 International Maritime Rescue Federation
(IMRF)
 Offices in Britain & China
 Represents rescue organizations worldwide, at
 IMO, & facilitates information sharing.
SAR Resources -World Maritime Rescue Congress

Theme for WMRC 2019 will be “Learning from the past; looking
to the future”, which we hope will enable participants to both
benefit from lessons learnt, whilst getting an insight into
innovations and technologies that will help shape maritime
SAR operations of the future.
SAR Resources
SAR Resources Aircraft
SAR Resources Vessels
SAR Resources Vessels
SAR Resources The Future – SAR
Drones?
SAR Resources -Rescue Resources Available in Europe

 Lisco Gloria – Baltic - numerous

resources attended – ships &
aircraft.
 Norman Atlantic – Adriatic -
numerous ships & aircraft – most
passengers rescued by helicopter.
 Dedicated rescue resources may
not be as readily available in other
parts of the world.
For each accident information was collected in an attempt to determine:

 Response times
 How many people were saved
 Available SAR Resources
 Who coordinated SAR efforts
 On scene coordination
 Rescue challenges
 Land agency assistance
 Ferry evacuation plans and their effectiveness
 Lessons learned
 Any overall views on the SAR response
 An official report or timeline of events
 Data Collection Process
Response times: How did SAR services
become aware of the incident and how long
did it take to respond?
Official rescuers Unclear/No
Location of Incidents 0-6 hours 6-12 12-24 hours 24+ never reached the reports of any Total
hours vessel
Bangladesh 4 10 3 2 20 39
Indonesia 8 2 6 1 9 26
Philippines 8 3 1 1 5 18
Other 22 3 5 7 3 36 76
Total 42 18 12 12 5 70 159

Key Challenges:
 Lack of reporting of position
 No distress signal
 Delayed incident reporting
 Available SAR Resources...

First responders
All those who
survived
Other nearby swam
Villagers or commercial ashore/No Local Police or Official SAR
Location of Incidents nearby vessels/ferries other Fire service Team/Service Unclear Total
fishermen rescuers
mentioned
Bangladesh 11 7 13 5 3 39
Indonesia 6 6 2 7 5 26
Philippines 2 7 1 1 5 2 18
Other 19 12 9 3 17 16 76
Total 38 32 23 11 29 26 159

Key Challenges
 Bangladesh
 Indonesia
 Philippines
 The Challenge of rescue..
Previously Mentioned
 Incomplete/No Manifests
 Lack of reporting of position
 No distress signal
 Delayed incident reporting
 Distance to accident site

Other
 Inadequate resources
 Sheer number of victims
Additional Notes

 Worldwide Ferry Association identified several key areas to

be addressed:
 Lack of communication – alerting of incident & location.
 Failure to investigate incidents to determine cause to
prevent future repetition
 IMRF – Rescue Boat Guidelines
 IMO - Manila statement on domestic passenger vessels
Lives Lost due to Lack of Communication
Uean Te Raoi II – Kiribati – 13 July 2009 19 Dead / 16 Missing
 ... Consequently the search was
undertaken in the wrong area for
about 2½ days.
 Had an EPIRB been on-board and
activated, the exact location and
plight of the Uean Te Raoi II would
have been known almost
immediately. In this event it is highly
likely that all of those on-board
would have been rescued that night,
meaning the number of fatalities
would have been kept at 2.
 Lives Lost due to Lack of Communication
Manitoba, Canada – 2008 / 2011

 Island Lake River – northern

Manitoba – Canada – 5 Nov
2011
 Boat stuck in rapids – 3 day
delay in rescue - 3 lost, 1
survivor
 Lake Manitoba – Canada – 21
October 2008
 Vessel broken down, 1 day
delay in communication – 1
lost, 2 survivors
 Communication
(In cases where an EPIRB is not required or fitted) PLB (GPS enabled)
SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger (Tracking, Emergency)
 Incident Reporting (1) Why?
 To establish & retain in the public domain the ‘facts’.
 Was it ‘an Act of God’?
 Was it the result of some sort of human failing ? If so, was it
an individual failure, or were there systemic factors?
 E.g., Widespread malfeasance, or perhaps
 Insufficient funds to provide the required services

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Incident Reporting (2) IMO Casualty Investigation Code

‘Objective of preventing marine casualties.. in the future’

 Objectives:
 How to prevent future recurrences
 Public knowledge of what is a safe operation
 Organizational knowledge of what is a safe operation
 Political Will to demand Safety Standards be Maintained
 Not to apportion blame or determine liability
 Focus on why (technical explanation) in addition to what
happened
 ‘The final report shall be made available to the public’ - encourages
objective reporting, public understanding of the facts, pressure to
perform on all parties
International Maritime Rescue Federation - Rescue Boat
Guidelines

Internationally there is very little guidance available with

regard to starting up or running a maritime search and
rescue unit, and few official methods of sharing best
practice between organizations.

The IMRF's project developed guidelines for maritime

SAR units of less than 24 metres in length.

The project has developed a simple to use web-based

application that will allow users to receive tailored
guidance on the management of typical maritime SAR
risks.
 IMO – Manila Statement on Enhancement of the
Safety of Ships Carrying Passengers on Non-
International Voyages (1)
 Conference held 24 April 2015, Manila, the Philippines
 Focus - urgent need to enhance the safety of domestic ferries.
 “The public expects safety standards on domestic passenger
ferries to be as strong as those on international vessels,”
 “Casualties and incidents involving domestic ferries can be
avoided
if adequate laws, regulations and rules are developed and
effectively implemented and enforced,”
 Strongly recommends the use of the ‘Guidelines on the safe
operation of coastal and inter-island passenger ships not
engaged in international voyages’.
 IMO – Manila Statement on Enhancement of the
Safety of Ships Carrying Passengers on Non-
International Voyages (2)
Guidelines on the safe operation of coastal and inter-
island passenger ships not engaged in international
voyages - addresses:
Purchase of second hand ships
Conversion or modification of ships prior to entering
service
Existing domestic passenger carrying vessels
Change in the ship’s operating limits
Passenger counting
Voyage planning
Regulatory enforcement
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