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December 2010 The Newsletter of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) December 2010 News… Experience… Ideas… Information… Development… December 2010 In this issue:
Hamish McDonald on the global challenges of water safety & SAR development mass rescue operations and the next in the IMRF’s international conference series news from China, Estonia, Germany and North, West & South Africa and more!
Looking back on 2013 – and forward to the new year As 2013 draws to a close, Chief Executive Bruce Reid reflects on the IMRF’s achievements during the year, and looks forward to some of the things planned for 2014.
The IMRF is coming to the end of an incredibly busy year. We have held very successful regional meetings in North West Africa (in Morocco and the Canary Islands), Malta, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, and Estonia. IMRF Trustees and officers have participated in other major events; in Fiji, Sri Lanka, the UK, the Bahamas, Germany, and Uruguay. Our major projects have forged ahead: global SAR development, rescue boat guidelines, mass rescue operations, water safety education and awareness, and, in our European region, the crew exchange project. We have played a full part at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) too, representing the world’s SAR organisations on the world stage, and contributing to the development of SAR guidance and regulation.
December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December
We have reviewed and revised our communications strategy, updating the IMRF website (www.international-maritime2010 rescue.org), increasing our news media output with regular press releases, and – of course – regularly publishing your newsletter, LIFE LINE. We have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Life Saving Federation (ILS). Our Asia Pacific Regional Centre is making great progress. And the IMRF team is there to deal withDecember any individual 2010 number matters our Members want to raise: remember Ann Laing’s watch-words – Just Ask! The Stonehaven telephone is +44 (0)1569 767405; in Shanghai it’s +86 21 55095301; and the first point of email contact is info@imrf.org.uk.
December Anyway: that’s a flavour of 2013. But what about next year? There’s a huge amount to do. Currently, we are planning 2010 regional meetings for Africa, Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region. The Trustees will be visiting Australasia and Thailand. There’ll be the third in our series of International Maritime Mass Rescue Conferences in Sweden. We also plan to hold up to four mass rescue operations workshops around the world, and will be launching the IMRF Rescue Boat December Guidelines too, which will also include a series of workshops. Our Asia Pacific Centre plans to hold further On Scene 2010 Coordinator training [see page 3], and further training and support will be provided in the North and West Africa Region too, working with the IMO and the African States in the region and their European neighbours. December
As you can see, the IMRF is driving forward, making a noise – and making a real difference in global maritime 2010SAR. The IMRF is our Members, without whose determination and support none of these things could be achieved. Thank you for all you have done in 2013. Want to be more involved next year...? Just Ask!
December 2010
The International Maritime Rescue Federation is a registered company limited by guarantee in the United Kingdom and registered as a charity in England and Wales Patron: Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, 2004-2011
December 2010
Registered office: IMRF West Quay Road Poole BH15 1HZ United Kingdom Company Registration Number: 4852596 Charity Registration Number: 1100883
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
December 2010 December
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December 2013
Editorial
Contents
Welcome to the latest edition of your newsletter. Another full and varied issue for you.
Looking back – and forward
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Editorial
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As our CEO Bruce Reid says on page 1, the year now drawing to a close has been a busy one for the IMRF, and a great deal has been achieved. But there’s always more to be done, and we don’t expect 2014 to be any quieter: it’s Full Ahead at the IMRF!
Dates for the Diary
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However, as Bruce remarks, the IMRF is its Members. Without you and your efforts, SAR does not get done and global SAR will not improve. So – thank you. And keep up the good work. Keep yourself and others in touch, too. If you receive LIFE LINE from us direct, can you pass it on to colleagues? Or if the newsletter has been forwarded to you, please ask us to add you to our distribution list. If you aren’t an IMRF Member or Supporter, and would like to know more, have a look at our recently refreshed website, at www.international-maritimerescue.org
IMRF & ILS sign agreement
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On scene coordination
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G3: our next MRO conference ...................
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The IMRF in N&W Africa
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The IMRF in Europe .................................
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Estonian Maritime Rescue Organisation ...
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SAR Matters
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Mass rescue operations
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The IMRF’s MRO project
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WaterWise in South Africa
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Supporting North & West Africa
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IMO Bravery Awards .................................
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Safe affordable ferries
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The FIRST Project
Send us your news & pictures
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Dates for the Diary ‘Gothenburg 3’: the next in the IMRF’s mass rescue operations conference series 1-3 June 2014 and/or contact my colleague Ann Laing, a.laing@imrf.org.uk or on +44 (0)1569 767405.
at
The New Year beckons. As it progresses we will be preparing for the next IMRF Quadrennial General Meeting, which will be held in conjunction with our 2015 World Maritime Rescue Congress, in Bremerhaven, Germany. Our Members will be kept fully informed of developments, of course – but watch LIFE LINE too for news of what will be going on. Among many other things, the Members attending the QGM will be deciding on the major projects the IMRF will undertake in the next four years, to complement our work in the current quadrennium on rescue boats, mass rescue operations, water safety education and global SAR development. Exciting stuff! Be a part of it. From all of us at the IMRF, Board and Secretariat, a happy and successful New Year to you all.
Hosted by the Swedish Sea Rescue Society. See page 3.
Drowning Prevention Week
21-29 June 2014
Organised by the Royal Life Saving Society UK. See www.drowningpreventionweek.org.uk.
Rescue 2014
17-19 October 2014 Hosted by ICE-SAR in Reykjavik, Iceland. See www.icesar.com/rescue.
World Maritime Rescue Congress
1-4 June 2015
Advance notice of the IMRF’s next Congress and quadrennial general meeting. Details in due course.
If you are planning a SAR event of international interest which you would like to see listed here, please send the details to: news@imrf.org.uk
Dave Jardine-Smith news@imrf.org.uk
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
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On Scene Coordinator Courses
IMRF and ILS sign new agreement The IMRF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with our sister organisation, the International Lifesaving Federation (ILS). The ILS is the world authority for drowning prevention, lifesaving and lifesaving sport. ILS leads, supports and collaborates with national and international organisations engaged in drowning prevention, water safety, water rescue, lifesaving, lifeguarding and lifesaving sport. The new MoU recognises that drowning is a major public health issue that is claiming and affecting millions of lives every year. ILS and IMRF share a common goal of reducing drowning on all continents and in all waters. With this in mind both organisations want to collaborate more closely to ensure that all available resources are applied in a productive and resourceful manner to drowning prevention. Mutual respect and recognition of each other’s contribution and unique global status underpin our working relationship. We will work to support common activities at the national and international level and to align our public messages while preserving our respective organisational identities. Working together makes us stronger, and should help save lives.
Partners: ILS President Graham Ford and IMRF Chairman Michael Vlasto
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The IMRF’s Asia Pacific Regional Centre (APRC) and the Nanhai Rescue Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Transport combined to hold an On Scene Coordinator (OSC) training course in Shenzhen in September. More than 30 people attended from the China Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and China Rescue and Salvage.
Speakers and trainees at the Shenzhen training course
In his opening remarks, Mr Lin Zhihao of the Nanhai Rescue Bureau emphasized the importance of cooperation between China Rescue and Salvage and the MRCC, especially as regards information exchange and the sharing of rescue resources. IMRF Trustee Captain Udo Helge Fox, of the German Maritime SAR Service, who led the training session, noted the importance of the IMRF’s regional development strategy. He considered the training course a significant milestone: for the first time the IMRF, through its APRC, was providing practical training on the important, and potentially very difficult, OSC function in SAR operations. This is an initiative that the IMRF would like to build on in other parts of the world. The Shenzhen course focussed on maritime emergency management and research on maritime SAR skills, and reviewed the whole process of maritime emergency response, including analysis of typical cases. The attendees were able to obtain the necessary theoretical knowledge and OSC skills, involving on-scene command, control, coordination and communication issues.
‘G3’ – our next MRO conference The IMRF is delighted to announce our latest International Maritime Mass Rescue Conference, to be held on 1-3 June 2014 in Sweden. This is the third in our ‘Gothenburg series’ of conferences, kindly hosted by IMRF Members the Swedish Sea Rescue Society. It forms part of the IMRF mass rescue operations project. Major incidents of any kind severely test response capabilities; even more so when rescue or relief efforts involve operations on the water. The 2010 and 2012 conferences in the Gothenburg series, and the 2011 World Maritime Rescue Congress in Shanghai, helped to highlight and address many of these challenges. The 2014 conference will focus on developing and sharing practical solutions to the previously identified problems, under the following main headings: Integrating the preparation and planning efforts of all stakeholders, including industry Enhancing incident coordination and establishing supportive response systems Improving cohesion between all stakeholders to optimise response capability More information in the next edition of LIFE LINE, from info@imrf.org.uk or at www.international-maritimerescue.org... and see page 9 as well.
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The IMRF in North West Africa Fishermen with poor communications and safety equipment are one of the main reasons for SAR call-outs off the coasts of North and West Africa. This was one of the issues raised at the IMRF’s North West African Regional Meeting held in Gran Canaria in October. As well as representatives from the region several European SAR organisations also attended. The meeting was told that along the coast of Senegal alone there are some 13,000 artisanal fishermen, who often are not equipped to alert the authorities if they get into trouble. This problem is repeated along much of the African coast. There have also been changes in fishing techniques in recent years which, when they are employed using traditional fishing craft, can cause them to capsize. It was agreed that the dangers identified were not just a SAR issue but also required a community approach to encourage a safety culture. (See ‘SAR Matters’, page 7.) Another challenge faced by some of the States represented at the meeting is the increasing number and size of cruise ships operating in their areas. The increased possibility of a mass rescue operation being required highlights the need for SAR organisations to develop plans to manage this risk. The IMRF’s mass rescue operations project will assist this planning process. (See page 9.)
The ability to access funds for non-capital SAR requirements such as training is also a continuing challenge in the region. Examples were given of equipment being provided but with no provision to train those expected to use it. IMRF Chief Executive Bruce Reid says: "The development of the North and West Africa Regional SAR Plan has improved communication and collaboration and the overall SAR response and capability of the region – but there is still work to be done. "Regular meetings, combined with training, are bringing the groups closer together and possible expansion to include other African States and observers from European SAR agencies would enhance this activity." In the Canary Islands themselves, SAR organisations www.international-maritime-rescue.org
December 2013
identify pleasure craft, and particularly the increasing number of small water craft such as kayaks, windsurfers and jet-skis, as a problem, due in part to a lack of knowledge and understanding on the part of users, and reliance on technology over seamanship in some cases. Maritime adventurers engaged in single-handed voyages remain a small but frustrating problem group. The emerging challenge presented by the developing offshore oil & gas industry in this region was also highlighted. The matter of 'migrants' was discussed. Despite the recent disasters off Lampedusa and elsewhere in the Mediterranean, this risk group was no longer a major problem for the North and West Africa region, with significant work having been undertaken to address the matter. Numbers of migrants have dropped from 30,000 intercepted in 2006 to 340 in 2011. But while the migrant issue is not a major challenge at present it is recognised as still being a potential risk for the future. The problems outlined above, the meeting heard, were being addressed through the introduction and enforcement of new regulations to lift overall safety standards. Improved reporting had also allowed the types of incidents occurring to be analysed and targeted, with interventions primarily through inter-agency cooperation, local community short courses and training, and by utilising local radio to broadcast safety messages. Public education and awareness strategies are also being used with some success to target the pleasure boat group in Gran Canaria. Public campaigns are run at targeted times to raise awareness and improve safety behaviours. This is an ongoing challenge as the main groups being targeted are transient: mainly holiday-makers or shortterm residents. The IMRF remains fully committed to working with and supporting its partners in this rapidly developing SAR region. As usual, the IMRF’s Trustees held one of their bi-annual board meetings alongside the Regional Meeting, to make best use of resource and to enable them to meet regional Members and partners and discuss their concerns. At the board meeting the Trustees heard updates on IMRF work from around the world, and discussed the IMRF’s continuingly expanding workload and the resource needs this expansion implies. page 4
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The IMRF in Europe
Ene Kalmus addresses the Estonian Maritime Rescue Conference
The Chairman and CEO of the IMRF, together with other Trustees and officers, were honoured to attend a Maritime Rescue Conference held in Tallinn, Estonia, in October. Ene Kalmus of IMRF Members the Estonian Maritime Rescue Organisation – the EVMJP (see page 6) – was a prime mover behind the event. Mr Ken-Marti Vaher, the Estonian Minister of the Interior, emphasised the importance of collaboration and cooperation. He noted that, while the State cannot create volunteers like the EVMJP, it can, and will, facilitate their role in maritime SAR. The other keynote speakers, Mati Raidma of the Estonian Parliament, and Rando Kruusmaa of the Police and Border Guard (who lead on SAR in Estonia), also noted the need to work together to achieve substantial benefits. The key word, said Deputy Director Kruusmaa, is ‘cooperation’. A crowded hall heard presentations on maritime rescue and the State structures in the Estonian SAR system, and on their voluntary partners and potential partners. IMRF projects were explained, including the European crew exchange project (see LIFE LINE, October 2013), and other international examples were discussed by IMRF Members represented at the conference: the Russian Voluntary Maritime Rescue Society, the Finnish Lifeboat Institution, the Swedish Sea Rescue Society – and ADES, the Sea and River Rescue Association of Uruguay. We know that, to improve SAR, it is vital that all those involved should talk, and understand each other’s roles and capabilities. Examples from elsewhere are also of great help. This conference proved both points well. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The latest IMRF European Regional Development Group Meeting was held in Viimsi, Estonia, the day after the Maritime Rescue Conference in Tallinn. It was chaired by Remmi Edelbo Pedersen, and was attended by representatives of some fifteen European IMRF Member organisations, as well as the Chairman and other officers of the Federation.
European Regional Development Group members visiting Viimsi rescue boat station (and sheltering from the hail blowing off the Baltic!) and, below, the meeting in full swing
Remmi ran an ‘open space’ meeting for the most part, inviting attendees to identify subjects they wished to discuss and then to join small working groups to talk through the various topics identified. The subjects raised included: cooperation, both between SAR organisations and with other maritime emergency responders such as salvors sustainable development of SAR organisations, including recruitment and retention strategies funding and fundraising, especially for running costs; and training: it was agreed that a working group would be established to study this area in particular. Watch LIFE LINE for its reports!
Klaus Wilkens, of the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) and conference chairman, sums up the findings
The 2013 World Conference on Drowning Prevention was also held in October, in Potsdam, Germany. Over 500 delegates attended this major event, which was organised by our partners the International Life Saving Federation (ILS – see page 3) and hosted by the German Life Saving Society. The agenda covered all aspects of this “global health issue, which is bigger than many accept, and almost entirely preventable”, in the words of ILS President, Graham Ford. The conference tackled multiple work streams, including prevention & pool safety swimming education life-saving education sport youth scuba & rescue diving risk assessment water rescue services rescue boat driving disaster prevention & rescue medical aspects research lifesaving management world collaboration; and sea rescue. The last thread included presentations by Michael Vlasto, IMRF Chairman, on the IMRF and our rescue boat guidelines project, and by David Jardine-Smith of the Secretariat on our mass rescue operations project. It is clear from the list above that there are many areas of common ground and interest between the ILS and the IMRF. We look forward to working on them in partnership. The next World Conference on Drowning Prevention will be held in Penang, Malaysia, in October 2015. page 5
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Member Focus: Estonian Maritime Rescue Organisation The IMRF’s European Regional Meeting took place in Estonia in October (see page 5), kindly hosted by the Estonian Maritime Rescue Organisation. Ene Kalmus, Chairperson of the Organisation’s Management Board, writes:
Dwellers on Estonian shores have always included seafarers and fishermen – and every seaman knows how important a helping hand is at a critical moment. Our Organisation has its roots in this tradition. There had been rescue stations during the Russian period: when the Republic of Estonia was created, they were handed over to the State and reported to various agencies until 1927, when they were attached to the Red Cross. By 1938, Estonia had 28 rescue stations registered, some operating in winter where there was active traffic over ice. The key equipment was the socalled unsinkable lifeboat specially built for rescue operations: a double-boarded hull with a metal keel and air spaces at either end filled with crates of cork, grab ropes around the boat, and sacks of oil to calm waves. But the skills of the crew, their selflessness and willingness, were considered paramount.
Form a cooperation network of various sea and lake rescue societies to cover the entire shorelines of the sea and major lakes; Coordinate the core activities and training at local volunteer societies by creating functioning cooperation and training systems; Working with national agencies, set up legal bases, social guarantees and a system for financing the costs of sea and lake rescue volunteers and their societies; Integrate into the international volunteer maritime rescue system by raising Estonia's rescue capability and making use of partners' years of experience.
lifeguard services serving as the central organisation . During the second period of Estonia's independence, however, and with economic growth, the numbers of boat owners increased: fishing remained the main activity for many people. With the development of small-craft harbours the numbers of international visitors have grown as well.
The EVMJP now unites 15 volunteer maritime and lake rescue societies whose members total over 220 people. The societies vary greatly in terms of their equipment – everything from RIBs owned by the societies themselves to privately owned wooden boats. Several societies rent their vessels from private companies. Primary rescue equipment has been purchased but more is needed. To date, the Level I training required under the law has been completed by 117 people, with 38 volunteers having attained Level II or team leader training.
Increasing cooperation between Estonia and Finland from 2004 included a review of Estonia’s maritime safety provisions. The idea of a volunteer maritime rescue organisation met with general support, and cooperation projects were carried out with EU funding to determine the objectives of a volunteer sea and lake rescue system, the principles for its functioning, its results, and cooperation with the national border guard and rescue agencies.
The number of search, rescue and aid events in which volunteers participate is increasing, and, given the upward trend of boat owners and water sport enthusiasts, this is set to rise even further. Volunteers also organise water safety days, study camps and information events dedicated to students, which are very popular, and volunteers take care of safety during various water sport events: canoe trips, sailing regattas, races and the like.
April 2010 saw the registration of the non-governmental organisation Eesti Vabatahtlik Mere - ja Järvepääste (EVMJP – the Estonian Maritime Rescue Organization). Its founding members were six volunteer sea and lake rescue societies and a continuing education centre.
The EVMJP has enjoyed a close partnership with the Finnish Lifeboat Institution since 2006; and we joined the IMRF in 2010. This enables us to benefit from, and contribute to, membership in the international family of maritime rescuers: close cooperation links sprang up with volunteer maritime rescue organisations in Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, the UK and elsewhere.
During the Soviet period, the concept and content of rescue stations changed – the sea was no longer free and rescue at sea was replaced by rescue along the shore, with
Under its statutes, the organisation’s main objectives are: Increase significantly security at sea and on inland waters by involving volunteer societies in the rescue operations of rescue and border guard units; Support citizen initiative and willingness to volunteer to assist rescue agencies and, thereby, reduce the fixed costs of national rescue readiness; www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The EVMJP is now in a decisive phase in its evolution: our development plan calls for support from the State to enable transition to an independent and permanently financed system. We want to be a real partner for the State in developing Estonian maritime SAR. page 6
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December 2013
SAR Matters
in Mali, the movement of peoples from the Sahel, and the breakdown of law and order in Guinea Bissau.
This column provides a forum for LIFE LINE readers worldwide to contribute to debate on any relevant SAR issue. You can join in, or propose new items for discussion, by emailing news@imrf.org.uk.
When considering the high loss of life on the waters of the North and West African States, it is imperative that all the influencing factors are taken into account – particularly when it is realised that all the different forms of CEMNT movements, both in and out of the North Africa / Sahel region, have to transit a maritime boundary at some stage. Adding greatly to this problem is the fact that the States that make up the coastal boundaries of this region have artisanal fishing industries and communities that are suffering serious safety and viability problems of their own.
Or you can join the discussion on our SAR Matters Blog, online at www.international-maritime-rescue.org. Have a look at previous discussions on the website too, in the LIFE LINE archive. In this edition IMRF Trustee Hamish McDonald discusses the global challenges of water safety and SAR development. IMRF’s stated mission is "preventing loss of life in the world’s waters” – a bold and noble aim. However, to facilitate its achievement many very varied challenges must be recognised and addressed. A major initial difficulty for any international organisation that has evolved predominantly from ‘developed’ member entities is to be able to perceive the challenges for both the developed entity and the indigenous artisan. An holistic perception must encompass not only the practicalities of operational capability development but be inclusive of, and sensitive to, cultural, geo-commercial, geopolitical and societal dictates.
Three key challenges impact artisanal fisheries: 1. Management, operation and processing the product of artisanal fishery in a sustainable and viable manner Inadequate fisheries management and policing measures have led to overfishing, illegal fishing, increased competition and reduced profitability for artisanal fishers. States selling their fishing rights to external entities. The huge catching capacity of overseas vessels exploiting these stocks earns them billions of euros; but the artisanal fishermen’s catch is greatly reduced.
Accurate figures for the annual loss of life on the world’s waters are extremely difficult to define: an often-quoted estimate is 400,000. What is certain is that a very significant percentage of these deaths relate to indigenous artisan peoples, either within fisheries (marine or inland) or migrant. The consequential reality of these figures is that there is maximum pressure on disaster management, emergency response and SAR resources in the regions and communities with the least developed resource and capability. Over the past few years there has been a very high loss of life at sea related to human trafficking and the transhipping of migrants. Most reaction to this situation is to demand greater border security and greater SAR capability; a response that is in some ways understandable and may provide some short term gains. Longer term, however, greater strains are placed on limited resources, and the problem is moved elsewhere. To develop a perception taking account of both the ‘developed’ and the ‘indigenous’ viewpoints, it is necessary to undertake a review of the causal and influencing factors on individual perceptions of safety, security and wellbeing, focusing on individuals’ ability either to sustain or develop such perceptions or, alternatively, to become susceptible to criminal, extremist, migrant, narcotic or terrorism (CEMNT) activities. Analysis clearly identifies that those who have lost most, for reasons beyond their direct control, are those most easily redirected to CEMNT activity. This is easily exemplified in the root causes of piracy in Somalia, insurgency www.international-maritime-rescue.org
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) the probability is that all West African fishing grounds are fully or over-exploited. A direct result of this is that over 1.5 million artisanal fishermen cannot sustain their growing populations. 2. Cultivation and adoption of a maritime safety culture that is fit for purpose, viable and sustainable The present general lack of a maritime safety awareness culture within many artisanal fishery communities is well documented. The FAO estimates that, worldwide, roughly 30 million fishers work aboard 4 million fishing vessels. About 98% of these vessels are below 24 metres in length, and approximately 2.7 million are small un-decked craft. The number of fishing fatalities is very conservatively estimated at 24,000 per year. (continued on page 8) page 7
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(continued from page 7)
The consequences fall heavily on dependents. In some countries, these can be devastating: widows may have a low social standing, there is no welfare state to support the family and, with a lack of alternative sources of income, the dependents may face total poverty. In Africa, on average, for every dead fisher there are seven family dependants and a further ten persons will also suffer loss of income. 3. Management and operation of fit-for-purpose, viable and sustainable policing, emergency response and rescue resources In many of the maritime regions associated with artisanal fishery, human trafficking and migrant problems, the maritime policing and emergency response capacity levels vary dramatically. Unfortunately they are at best minimal in some of the worst affected areas, and they have to deal with many varied situations. The three key challenges outlined are interlinked, inter-reactive and inter-causal. Bad management, operation and processing of the product of artisanal fishery leads to an unsustainable and non-viable industry. Participants attempting to cope with the situation often adopt cost-cutting and risk-taking measures, resulting in a culture of diminished maritime safety awareness. This in turn puts additional demands on the emergency response resource; and shortfalls in that resource have a negative effect on the safety, security and wellbeing of the artisanal fishers. The presence of any one or more of these three key challenges can create a self-perpetuating negative rotation of outcomes. Participants in the artisanal fishery develop the perception of having no future and no prospects. They have no profitable work, so no pay and thus no support mechanisms. Perceiving poverty or destitution, they need to move, or get pay by other means. In times of desperation and need, people are most vulnerable to targeting by the criminal, extremist, migrant, pirate, trafficking and/or terrorist controllers and paymasters. Consequently, a very high proportion of persons involved in artisanal fisheries have either become migrants, or have chosen, or been forced, to be under the direction of CEMNT controllers. These factors are recognised locally, nationally and internationally. Additionally it is known that there is a strong interactive link between an individual’s, a family’s, and a community’s perception of their own safety, security and wellbeing, and that of the actual safety, security and wellbeing of their society as a whole. It is also the case that a negative perception within a country has the potential to have detrimental impacts on international safety, security and wellbeing. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
It should therefore be in ALL our interests to facilitate the enhancement of the individual’s safety, security and wellbeing, in turn facilitating a positive knock-on effect to the society and country as a whole. A significant number of support programmes aim to address these challenges. Although excellent in their own right, the majority of such programmes cover relatively narrow aspects of what is a very complex overall problem. Unfortunately the current standard ‘healing mechanisms’ invariably consist of a combination of reactive external policing and interdiction linked to the provision of internal development packages. But it is often the case that these development packages are not truly inclusive of the grassroots community, are not locally sustainable, and therefore frequently make the local situation worse rather than better. Analysis of information gained from indigenous perceptions of many previous support programmes suggests that there is a need to be more allinclusive in addressing the varied aspects and interrelationships of the safety, security and wellbeing of artisanal fishery communities and their associated sectors. The same analysis highlights the need to learn from some of the mistakes of past endeavours, where best intentions have been compromised by: poor definition and lack of understanding of operational requirements; lack of understanding of the available support infrastructure; and misinterpretation of information received or given. In the next edition of LIFE LINE, Hamish will propose a methodology and programme aimed at addressing the challenges detailed above by facilitating all-inclusive beneficial change to the safety, security and wellbeing of artisanal fishery communities and associated sectors. page 8
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Mass Rescue Operations On 3 October a heavily overcrowded fishing vessel caught fire, capsized and sank off Lampedusa. She was carrying people trying to cross to Europe from North Africa. 366 of them, mostly Eritreans and Somalis, died. There were 155 survivors. It was the worst but by no means the only such tragedy in the Mediterranean in recent times. For once, the global news media paid attention. Back in August the ferry St Thomas Aquinas was in collision with a cargo ship, Sulpicio Express Siete, off Cebu in the Philippines. The ferry sank quickly. Of the 870 people believed to have been on board, at least 80 were killed and another 40 were missing, probably trapped in the wreck. 750 people, however, were saved. In November Typhoon Haiyan caused devastating damage in the Philippines and other countries in the region, resulting in a mass rescue operation on a much greater scale. Quite rightly the news media focussed on this catastrophe, and an international rescue and recovery operation continues. But the loss of St Thomas Aquinas was less well reported. And she was not alone. In Indonesia there were two ferry accidents within two days of each other: the Express Bahari 8C caught fire on 22 August off Tanjung Pandan, with the reported loss of 7 lives. 184 people were rescued. Then, on 24 August, Sandar Jaya capsized, also off Sumatra, killing at least four. 21 people were rescued but, as is so often the case, the number of people aboard the ferry was uncertain. In September another boat carrying asylum-seekers sank, this time off Java. Over 70 are feared dead, and only 25 reported rescued. In October a large dugout, carrying scores of people and a large amount of merchandise, broke up on the Niger river near Koubi. 210 survivors were reported but, with over 70 people confirmed dead, it was one of Mali’s worst river disasters. "In the future,” said a government minister, “These canoes will have to be equipped with life vests, fire extinguishers and lights for night-time navigation..." *** The awful stories continue to be told, sometimes catching the world’s attention; but all too often not. If causes are addressed at all, they are addressed too late for those already lost, and sometimes it is doubtful that the action promised will be fully carried out once the brief flare of publicity dies away. The IMRF cannot address all these issues in our Mass Rescue Operations project (see this page) but we are determined to highlight the continuing and usually avoidable losses of life – and to support initiatives such as the Safe Affordable Ferry design competition (see page 12). We also note, and highly commend, the rescue efforts of our colleagues responding to these disasters around the world. Until these preventable accidents are prevented, the need to share such rescue experience remains. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
(picture courtesy the Italian Coast Guard)
The IMRF’s MRO project Sharing is what the IMRF is all about; and it’s what our mass rescue operations (MRO) project is all about too. At present there are three main threads to the project. The Gothenburg Conference Series is the first thread: the third international conference in the series will be held on 1-3 June 2014: see page 3. Then there’s the IMRF MRO Library. This will be a comprehensive and user-friendly on-line library of maritime mass rescue operations guidance material. Anyone preparing for MROs will be able to study the whole problem or easily find guidance on particular issues. A working group of subject-matter experts drawn from IMRF member and partner organisations is compiling the library. We intend to have it up and running within the next year. Finally, there are the IMRF MRO Workshops. These are usually one-day events designed to bring all the main responders together, nationally or regionally, to enable them to discuss their roles and capabilities and, using a tabletop exercise suited to their local circumstances, to discuss the many issues arising from MROs. The overall project aims are to raise awareness, enable discussion and share expertise and experience. The three main threads described above will work together to help us all be better prepared. And, while the reference library is still being built, the workshops are already under way, and are a great success. A one-day workshop in Uruguay last year, for example, has already led to a follow-up event organised by the national emergency authority, held in November this year. This included a more detailed tabletop exercise, and a visit to the cruise ship Zaandam. Here we see the ship’s Master discussing emergency response issues with the workshop participants. The IMRF will help organise a maritime MRO workshop anywhere in the world – for the need to prepare is a global one. Interested? Good: that’s the first step to being prepared! Contact the IMRF project manager, David Jardine-Smith, for details: d.jardinesmith@imrf.org.uk. page 9
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December 2013
WaterWise in South Africa Andrew Ingram of South Africa’s National Sea Rescue Institute writes:
IMRF Trustee and Executive Director of the DGzRS (German Maritime SAR Service) Udo Helge Fox writes:
The WaterWise Academy is the proactive educational initiative of South Africa’s voluntary National Sea Rescue Institute. The programme’s nine full-time Instructors have taught some 435,388 children about water safety since its inception in 2006. Even competent swimmers can drown so, instead of teaching kids to swim, we teach them how to rescue their peers. We target 9- to 14-yearold kids, since they are most at risk of death by drowning. We teach them what to do in an emergency, who to call for help and how to initiate basic bystander CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) while they wait for an ambulance to arrive.
Good news from Germany!
Lwazi Fihlela teaches water safety (above); and Liza Wigley teaches CPR (below)
This means that two training courses can be carried out in the North & West Africa Region in early 2014, and that a fact-finding mission can be undertaken in Senegal.
IMRF Chairman Michael Vlasto adds:
Zanele Bushwane teaches CPR (above); and children learn the emergency number, 10177 (below)
Transnet National Ports Authority sponsors six Instructors and our Waterwise Eden Instructor is proudly sponsored by the Department of Agriculture. Sea Rescue funds the remaining two with public donations that are made specifically to the WaterWise Academy project. You can help spread good ideas on water safety education and awareness! Please send a summary of your education programmes to Ann Laing, the IMRF’s education project manager, at a.laing@imrf.org.uk.
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The German Ministry of Transport is prepared to fund IMO projects involving DGzRS with the sum of €52,000 (in addition to the €5,000 already agreed).
These initiatives are in addition to the support the International Maritime Organization has recently provided, through the IMRF, to enable two students to have a week’s training each at the German Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre run by the DGzRS in Bremen.
WaterWise Instructors based around South Africa visit the classrooms of disadvantaged schools and teach the children, through interactive activities, what is safe and what is not when playing near or in water. The children are given a basic understanding of what to do should they find themselves in an emergency. Very importantly, this includes how to identify and avoid rip currents, as well as what to do if they or their friends are caught in one. Using the acronym PLAN (where P stands for Plan, L for Look, A for Ask and N for Never) we give them the do’s and don’ts of basic water safety. For the older children the First Aid HHH (Hazards, Hello and Help) is used to teach about their own safety coming first; and finally the children have great fun learning the national emergency number.
Supporting North & West Africa
This is great news indeed. It will enable the excellent work already started by the IMRF’s Regional Coordinator, and the SAR Coordinator in Morocco, Mohammed Drissi, to move forward even further. The work being organised in this region by Mohammed, with support from the IMRF and the IMO, and the very generous help provided by the German government, is a classic example of the IMRF’s purpose – the sharing of expertise and resources for the betterment of maritime SAR all around the world. For more on the North & West African initiative, see our August 2013 edition at www.international-maritimerescue.org. page 10
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December 2013
After flying through the outer bands of the hurricane, in strong winds and torrential rain, they found the ship partially submerged, with a large debris field and surrounded by life rafts.
Mrs Gu Meiying, widow of Yang Jinguo, and ASTs Haba and Todd at the award ceremony in London
The IMO Awards for Exceptional Bravery at Sea Each year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) makes awards for exceptional bravery at sea. The awards are a unique, international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage at sea. Anyone may be nominated, by an IMO Member State or a non-governmental organisation with consultative status at the IMO, such as the IMRF. Our expertise in this area also means that we are represented on the judging panel that considers the nominations made. The 2013 awards were presented at the IMO on 25 November – and IMRF CEO Bruce Reid and our Chairman, Michael Vlasto, were in the audience. The 2013 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea was awarded to two rescue swimmers from the United States Coast Guard, and, posthumously, to Mr Yang Jinguo, a seafarer from China who died trying to save the life of a passenger aboard Tong Chang Qi Du 11 after the ferry had collided with the cargo ship Shun Qiang 28. Seeing that the passenger was trapped in his truck, Mr Yang leapt back aboard the sinking ship to try to free him. Although he could have escaped, he continued trying to prise open the jammed cab door, at the cost of his own life. Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Randy J. Haba and Aviation Survival Technician Third Class Daniel J. Todd of USCG Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, were nominated for saving the lives of 14 crew members from the replica tall ship HMS Bounty, during Hurricane Sandy. The two men were part of the crews of Coast Guard Rescue Helicopters, CG-6012 and CG-6031, despatched in response to a message from HMS Bounty that she was taking water and preparing to abandon.
CG-6012 was the first to arrive, and AST Haba was lowered into the stormy waters. He spent an hour battling strong currents and 10-metre waves, in wind and rain, taking survivors from the liferafts to the waiting rescue basket. At one point, he was engulfed by a huge wave that knocked his mask off, and performed two more rescues without it. He exhibited exceptional strength and endurance throughout the entire rescue. Rescue Helicopter CG-6031 arrived 30 minutes after CG6012, and AST Todd was immediately deployed to another liferaft. Whilst he was assisting the second survivor in this raft into the rescue basket, a large wave toppled the raft with four more survivors still inside. AST Todd secured a handhold on the sea anchor to stabilise his position and expedite the rescue. He then repositioned to a second raft, containing three additional survivors, who he also successfully rescued. The IMRF was pleased to nominate a crew from another member organisation, the UK & Ireland’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The volunteer crew of the Port Isaac inshore lifeboat – helmsman Damien Bolton, and NicolaJane Bradbury and Matthew Main – were awarded a Certificate of Commendation for rescuing two people in rough and dangerous sea conditions beneath the cliffs of the North Cornwall coast. Two men who had been swept into the sea were within an arc of semi-submerged rocks and were being tumbled in confused and breaking 3-metre waves, making any rescue extremely challenging. Operating at the extreme limits of the lifeboat’s capabilities, Damien used great seamanship skills to manoeuvre towards them, and both were recovered to the boat. Sadly, however, one of the men did not survive.
(photos courtesy RNLI/Bob Bulgin)
Five other Certificates and 12 Letters of Commendation were also awarded as the IMO honoured lifesavers from around the world. The IMO is now seeking nominations for the 2014 Awards. In order to qualify, the action must have taken place in the period 1 March 2013 to 28 February 2014; and nominations must be submitted to the IMO by 15 April 2014. As the IMRF is on the judging panel, we ask for nominations to be made via an IMO Member State if possible. Contact info@imrf.org.uk for further details.
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
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December 2013
Safe affordable ferries
The FIRST Project
On page 9 we discussed the problems of mass rescue operations, and the work the IMRF is undertaking to improve capability in such cases globally. But the ‘MRO problem’ needs to be tackled from the other end too.
There are other ways of improving ferry safety too. We have featured the FIRST Project in LIFE LINE before. Here’s a quick update from project member Mikael Hinnerson of the Swedish Sea Rescue Society.
That’s why the IMRF strongly supports efforts being made to improve passenger ship safety, particularly in the developing world, where ferries have to operate as cheaply as possible.
“In July some of the FIRST team did special training and tests with TESO, the Dutch ferry company operating between Texel and Den Helder. Here we see one of our rescue runners alongside the Dokter Wagemaker. This is the winning design in an international student design competition run by the World Ferry Safety Association and our sister organisation at the IMO, Interferry (see www.ferrysafety.org). The goal was to elicit new approaches for ferry design in the developing world as well as to encourage designers to enter this arena. There is both a need and an emerging market. Dr Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA Executive Director, said “All the teams were technically strong and many had innovative approaches. The winners were a team from the University of British Columbia, Canada, with a monohull vessel design with exceptional stability characteristics. The entry was very complete in terms of design and cost and fuel analysis. Features include CNG-fuelled engines, modular cabins, and handicapped access.” The IMRF adds our congratulations to the winning team, and to the other entrants. Now we hope to see their ideas become reality!
“TESO, like many other shipping companies, has had incidents with the hooks of the ship’s rescue boat. This makes people reluctant to trust the equipment. But masters, mates and seamen agree that the FIRST launch and recovery principle, using a cradle, is much safer.”
Again, the improvements are there to be made, if the regulators and operators are willing to make them. For further information, see www.first-rescue.org.
And finally... We hope that you have found this issue of LIFE LINE informative and interesting. We know that there is much more going on among IMRF’s membership that could be reported here, to the benefit of all – but we rely on you, the reader, to tell us about it! LIFE LINE and the IMRF website need you to provide their contents – your news, your projects, your events, your ideas, your lessons learned. We also need your pictures, please: good quality pictures (more than 250 kB, if possible) of your SAR units – boats, ships, aircraft, RCCs etc. These will be used in LIFE LINE and on the website – but are also needed for presentations and to accompany press articles about the IMRF and its worldwide work. Please send articles and pictures (or links to them, with formal permission for them to be used for IMRF purposes) to news@imrf.org.uk Let’s spread the word, for the benefit of all at risk on the world’s waters.
LIFE LINE www.international-maritime-rescue.org
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