LIFELINE June 2012 - English

LIFE LINE

June 2012

December 2010 The Newsletter of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) December 2010 News… Experience… Ideas… Information… Development…

December 2010 In this issue:     

December 2010

the IMRF’s mass rescue conference, ‘Gothenburg II’, and other mass rescue matters IMRF initiatives on crew exchange, education, and our ‘Members Assisting Members’ scheme communication developments, and cold water survival December news from Estonia, Liberia and Brazil 2010 and more!

December 2010 December 2010 December 2010

The Titanic Effect

December 2010

In 1974 the ecologist Kenneth Watt published a book he called The Titanic Effect: Planning for the Unthinkable.

December Watt was not writing about maritime disasters in particular, but part of his more general thesis was that people only 2010 believe in, and therefore can only act upon, the possibility of future disaster to the extent that they think they can handle it. If we think it’s too difficult, we don’t plan.

December Gerald Weinberg labelled a related idea the ‘Titanic Effect’ in The Secrets of Consulting (1986). Believing that disaster itself is impossible may actually result in unthinkable disaster. If your model says disaster 2010 is extremely unlikely, the weakest link may actually be your model...

‘In general,’ wrote Watt, ‘It is worth taking action in advance to deal with disasters. The reason is that December the costs of doing so are typically inconsequential as measured against the losses that would ensue if no such action were 2010 taken’ - and he drew the following generalisation from his studies:

‘The magnitude of disasters decreases to the extent that people believe that they are possible, and plan December to prevent them, or to minimise their effects.’

So: let’s get back to the sea; and let’s plan for ‘unthinkable’ disasters...

2010 December 2010

IMRF mass rescue December 2010 operations conference December 2010 Special Edition December page 1 2010 December

LIFE LINE

June 2012

Editorial Welcome to the June edition of your newsletter - a special edition, published to coincide with ‘Gothenburg II’, the second in the IMRF’s conference series on mass rescue operations at sea.

If you are attending the conference in Gothenburg and this is the first time you have read LIFE LINE, welcome aboard!

LIFE LINE is available to everyone, free of charge, and you can find previous editions on our website www.international-maritime-rescue.org. You can also sign up on the website to receive email alerts each time a new edition is published, with links to the site. Don’t miss out, and please do contribute to our discussions if you can.

Contents The Titanic effect

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1

Editorial

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2

Dates for the Diary

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2

Mass rescue conference SAR Matters

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3

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4

Cold water survival (part 2) News from Estonia

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5

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6

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7

Mass rescue - past & present ....................

8

If you are not attending the Gothenburg conference, I hope you will find in this newsletter interesting information and opinion on the mass rescue subject.

We are sorry, of course, that you could not join us in Sweden - but we will be reporting the conference in subsequent editions (our next is due in August), and we hope that you will find the results interesting too!

And the conference will not be the end of the IMRF’s mass rescue project - far from it. There will be a great deal of work still to do, and we hope that you will feel able to assist with it.

Capabilities and needs

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9

Lifeboat for sale

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9

Radios broadcast

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9

SEND a message

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10

Exchange your crew! .................................

10

Saving lives through education

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11

News from Liberia

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12

One thing more on mass rescue. I wonder if there is anyone in SAR who feels that this particular IMRF project is not relevant to him or her? Well: I hope not.

Whatever your maritime SAR role, it is possible that you will one day find yourself involved in just such an operation - unlikely, perhaps; but possible.

Recognising that simple fact - that one day it might happen to you - is a long step on the road to being prepared. Being prepared isn’t absolutely everything, perhaps, but it certainly helps!

News from Brazil

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12

Titanic: the last word? ................................

12

Send us your news & pictures

12

But there is a great deal more than mass rescue in this edition of LIFE LINE. For example, there’s the second instalment of our three-part series on the latest guidance on cold water survival. You can find the first instalment in our April edition (available on the website), and the final part will be out in August.

On page 10 you will find an article about a new initiative getting under way in our European Region on crew exchange - a fine example of IMRF Members learning from each other’s experience ‘at the sharp end’. This initiative relates closely to our Members Assisting Members scheme - see page 9.

Another new IMRF initiative just beginning looks at the lifesaving problem from a different sort of ‘sharp end’. Lifesaving when someone is in trouble is what we do - but we can also help people to save themselves, by enabling them to recognise water risks and avoid them, and to improve their chances of survival should an accident happen anyway. See page11.

Enjoy the read!

Dave Jardine-Smith news@international-maritimerescue.org

Changing communications

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Dates for the Diary IMRF Mass Rescue Conference 3-5 June 2012 The second in IMRF‟s conference series on mass rescue at sea continues work begun in Gothenburg in June 2010 and progressed at the World Maritime Rescue Congress in Shanghai. There are further details in this issue of LIFE LINE, and we will report the conference results in future editions.

iSAR 2012

3-5 July 2012

To be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For details, see: www.globalstar.com.my

RESCUE 2012 - Iceland

19-21 October 2012

Arranged by IMRF Members ICE-SAR, and to be held in Reykjavik, Iceland. For details, see: www.icesar.com/rescue

If you have a SAR event of international interest which you would like to see listed here, please send the details to: news@international-maritime-rescue.org page 2

LIFE LINE

June 2012

Gothenburg II - the second in the IMRF mass rescue conference series To those readers who are attending the second in our conference series; welcome!

To those of you who could not, we are sorry to have missed you. However; we will make sure that you do not miss out on the results, which will be reported in future editions of LIFE LINE. Here, we introduce the conference, and some of its themes.

First, a very big ‘thank you’ to our conference hosts, IMRF Members the Swedish Sea Rescue Society.

Delegates will be divided into working groups and will be asked to discuss the scenarios with the overall conference aims in mind:

 how can the IMRF help to achieve this?

mass rescues, from ditched aircraft, offshore industry emergencies, and other disasters, natural or manmade. Although sometimes there will be complicating factors - as with the rescue of illegal migrants at sea, for example - the main aim of this conference is to determine how we can improve our response to any mass rescue situation.

With the greatest respect to all those who were victims of the Costa Concordia accident earlier this year, and to all those who responded to it, this is not a conference about that particular incident. Apart from anything else, it would be premature to try to consider that case in any detail before the official investigations are complete.

We are delighted to have, as our t wo k e yn o t e s p e a k e r s , J a n Mosander and Mary Landry. In one sense, Mr Mosander and Ms Landry represent opposite ends of a spectrum. Ms Landry is Director of I n c i d e n t Ma n a g e m e n t a n d Response Policy with the United States Coast Guard - who have done a great deal of work on mass rescue planning in recent years. Mr Mosander, on the other hand, has directly experienced a mass rescue operation: he and his partner were passengers aboard Costa Concordia when she came to grief on Giglio in January. We will thus hear again from those sometimes overlooked - the survivors - as we did so powerfully in 2010.

 what improvements can be made to our mass rescue planning and response; and Their superbly-located headquarters by the seaside at Långedrag provides a splendid setting for the second in IMRF’s ‘Gothenburg series’ of conferences on mass rescue operations.

Readers interested in the content and outcomes of the first conference in the series, held in June 2010, may find reports in the October & December 2010 editions of LIFE LINE, to be found on our website, www.international-maritimerescue.org. IMRF Members may obtain more information by logging in to the Library on the website.

The 2010 conference was based on a series of presentations from experts. Now, however, we are moving on from the necessary initial review of the sheer scale of the problem to seeing what we can do to address that problem - or aspects of it, at least.

Among other speakers, we will hear, too, from Udo Fox, IMRF Trustee and Executive Director of the German Maritime SAR Service; from John Dalziel, on behalf of Interferry, who are doing much good work on domestic ferry safety (see www.interferry.com); and from former ferry master Trevor Bailey (www.seatagsafety.com).

This second conference has therefore been designed principally to enable discussion. It will focus on on-scene and shoreside issues, coo rdi n atio n, commu nicat ions, planning, and training needs.

There will be presentations on various aspects of this most challenging of subjects; but the main parts of the event will be based around two scenarios, one on each of the main conference days.

This conference is more general.

We will be looking at some less well-reported accidents involving large numbers of people o n sh i p s .

We will also briefly consider other

The most important speakers at this conference, though, will be the delegates themselves! We look forward to hearing from them, and reporting their conclusions.

page 3

LIFE LINE

June 2012

SAR Matters This is a discussion column intended to provide a forum for LIFE LINE readers worldwide to contribute to debate on any relevant SAR issue.

Please see previous editions of LIFE LINE - available on the website, www.international-maritime-rescue.org for earlier discussions. Comment and/or new items for discussion should be emailed to news@internationalmaritime-rescue.org.

In this edition, with mass rescue very much in mind, Fredrik Falkman of the Swedish Sea Rescue Society reflects on the FIRST project, giving ‘ships of opportunity’ the means to help.

Passenger ship safety can be described as a chain of ambitions beginning with accident prevention, continuing in case of an accident with ship survivability and safe return to port. If none of these suffice, the next stage will be evacuation, followed by rescue to a place of safety.

The first links of this chain have been subject to plenty of debate, development and international regulations, but the last link, mass rescue, has had astonishingly little attention.

In fortunate cases an evacuation can be orderly and will take place close to a harbour and in benign weather conditions. Costa Concordia is a case in point. She grounded only 500 metres from Giglio Porto. Her evacuation and the subsequent rescue of the vast majority of her passengers and crew is arguably one of the largest and most successful in history. But what if the accident had happened along a less hospitable coastline? Or a few hours further out at sea?

In the offshore oil and gas industry, accident planning includes rescue to a place of safety. How can it be that this is not the case in the passenger shipping industry?

Could it be that, historically, ship accidents have gone awry in the earlier phases of the chain; that there haven’t been many successful evacuations where many people needed to be rescued? Or that the scale, complexity and unpredictability of the problem have been too daunting for the world to take on? The IMO defines a mass rescue operation as being ‘characterized by the need for immediate response to large numbers of persons in distress such that the capabilities normally available to the SAR authorities are inadequate’. Could it be that defining the problem in this way, as basically unsolvable, also has deterred any attempts to do anything about it?

opportunity’ are likely to be first on scene - but the crass reality is that, in a mass rescue situation and with the equipment that current (and planned) regulations require, their ‘opportunity’ may be only to witness a disaster rather than to give the help that they have the inherent capacity for. The driving idea behind the FIRST Project is that if passenger ships were to carry liftable liferafts and ships in general were to be capable of lifting them, ‘vessels of opportunity’ could be unrivalled resources in the mass rescue chain.

To test the viability of this idea, the FIRST Project has conducted a series of sea trials with the ropax ferry Stena Jutlandica. We have tried different aspects of lifting aboard liferafts of up to 39 person capacity, mostly in 3m waves and force 7-9 winds. The ferry was equipped with a crane to lift the rafts, and a small jetpropelled rescue boat and a drive-through cradle. This setup, along with the ferry’s manoeuvrability, has proven to be both efficient and completely undramatic to use.

In our latest test, conducted in moderate 1.5m waves and 14 m/s winds, it took seven minutes from the rescue boat launch order until the 39 person raft was landed onto Jutlandica’s deck. At this rate, with 39 people per raft, more than 300 people would be rescued per hour. If the launch time for the rescue boat is cut out and a group of rafts were kept together, we believe that a four minute cycle time would be realistic, resulting in a rescue rate of nearly 600 people per hour. This number should be compared with the now abandoned IMO ambition to require a 10 person per hour recovery rate.

Our next major goal is to install the system on a pair of ships sailing on the same route, which could thus help each other out in case of an emergency. We are currently looking for candidates and would be happy to hear from any interested shipowners!

Whatever the reasons, it is widely agreed, if not publicly known, that there is a global lack of ability to handle mass rescue at sea. The IMRF expressed this in its first conclusion from its Mass Rescue Conference in 2010: ’Recovery of people from survival craft or from the water remains a problem (especially in bad weather) that must be resolved.’

Communicating and promoting the project is an increasing part of our work. This April, for example, the project was presented by Interferry at the European Commission's Passenger Ship Safety Stakeholder Conference in Brussels. And, following the Costa Concordia accident, IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has added ‘Passenger Ship Safety’ to the IMO’s agenda. We naturally took this as a call directly addressed at us, and now hope to submit a paper together with the Swedish Transport Administration to IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee in November.

The FIRST Project, which is the mass rescue initiative of the Swedish Sea Rescue Society, proposes a solution to the mass recovery problem which promises to be vastly more efficient than any existing system. It’s based on the fact that wherever a ship accident occurs, there are likely to be other ships around. These ‘vessels of

We believe that the serious problem of mass rescue has a realistic, straightforward and cost-effective solution.

We will continue our mission of convincing the world that adequate global mass rescue is needed and possible.

Please follow us at www.first-rescue.org or on Twitter @firstrsq. page 4

LIFE LINE

‘Cold’ Water Survival This is the second in a series of three articles: please see our April and August 2012 editions for the other two.

In April we noted that the IMO is to publish revised guidance on cold water survival, based on the work of a group of experts coordinated by the IMRF, and we gave readers that group’s explanation of cold water hazards and their effects. It is a sad fact that people continue to die at sea because they lack this knowledge.

In this edition we move on to consider what to do prior to abandoning ship and during the survival phase, whether in survival craft or in the water. In August we will report on the guidance given for the rescue phase and on treatment of people recovered, including the treatment of the apparently dead. And in a future edition of LIFE LINE we will consider the implications which the latest research into cold water survival has for search times.

June 2012

survival craft, a marine escape system or other means of dry-shod embarkation are not available use over-side ladders if you can, or lower yourself slowly, by means of a rope or fire hose, for example.  If jumping into the water is unavoidable, you should try to keep your elbows to your side and cover your nose and mouth with one hand while holding the wrist or elbow firmly with the other hand. Just before you jump look down to ensure the area beneath is clear of obstruction, and then jump with eyes fixed on the horizon to ensure you stay in a vertical position as you fall. Avoid jumping onto a liferaft canopy (you may injure yourself or people inside) and avoid jumping into the water astern of a liferaft still secured to the ship, in case the ship has some remaining headway.

Readers in warm latitudes should note that “cold water” can, the experts tell us, mean water as warm as 25°C (77°F). Long periods of immersion in water as high as this temperature can still result in a fall in deep body temperature. It follows that most of the planet is covered in “cold” water. Now: please read on!

The advice to seafarers obliged to abandon ship is, first, to avoid abandoning for as long as safely possible: ‘the ship is the best survival craft’.

When abandonment becomes necessary, here are some things to remember:  Ensure distress alerts have been sent. If you have emergency location beacons - including personal beacons - switch them on, and leave them on.  If possible keep the emergency location beacon with you. Rescue units are most likely to find the emergency location beacon first.  Put on as many layers of warm clothing as possible, including your feet. Make sure to cover your head, neck, and hands. The outer layer should be as watertight as possible. Fasten clothing to improve insulation and to minimise cold water flushing in and out beneath the clothing.  If an immersion suit is available put it on over the warm clothing.  Put on a suitable lifejacket and secure it correctly. If in cold water you will quickly lose full use of your fingers.

If the lifejacket is fitted with retaining straps, make sure that they are pulled tight. They will hold the lifejacket in the right position, increasing buoyancy you may not be able to tighten them once in the water. If the lifejacket is of the automatic inflation type, inflate it manually after leaving the interior of the ship but before entering the water.  If time permits drink a lot before leaving the ship: warm sweet drinks are best - but no alcohol: it can reduce the chances of survival in cold water. Take extra water with you if possible.  Before leaving the ship, or immediately after boarding the survival craft, take anti-seasickness medicine.  Avoid entering the water at all if possible. If you must go into the water, avoid jumping in. If davit-launched

You should try to enter survival craft ‘dry’. But this may not be possible, and the craft is unlikely to be dry itself. You can still cool to dangerous levels - especially if wet to begin with, partly because of the evaporation of water in your clothing. Even if wearing an immersion suit, or a so-called ‘dry’ suit, you may still be wet. But stay calm: there are things you can do to improve your situation.  In survival craft without covers, try to give yourself a waterproof and windproof covering - plastic sheeting or bags, for example, if suitable clothing is not available.  Enclosed survival craft give you better protection from the elements, but may still become wet inside.

Having checked that there are no other survivors able to reach the raft, close the covers as soon as you can, before your hands get too cold.  Try to avoid sitting in water: sit on your lifejacket if there is nothing else available.  Squeeze as much water as you can out of sodden clothing before replacing it, to reduce body heat loss through evaporation.  Huddling close to the other occupants of the survival craft will also conserve body heat - but ensure craft stability is not compromised.  Follow your survival craft training (water and food rationing, etc).  Keep a positive attitude of mind about your survival and rescue: your will to live does make a difference!

While you wait ‘Stay warm; stay alive’ should be your motto. (continued on page 6) page 5

LIFE LINE

June 2012

‘Cold’ Water Survival

News from Estonia

(continued from page 5)

Ene Kalmus, Chair of the Estonian Voluntary Maritime Rescue Organisation, writes:

Because of the greater body heat loss in water, you are always better off out of the water than in it - despite how this may feel at first - and you are better off partially out of the water if you cannot get out of it entirely.

After the initial responses have passed and you have regained control of your breathing, you should:  Orientate yourself and try to locate the ship, survival craft, other survivors, or other floating objects. If you were unable to prepare yourself before entering the water, button up clothing now. In cold water you may experience violent and distressing shivering and numbness. These are natural body responses that are not dangerous. But you need to take action as quickly as possible before you lose full use of your hands.  Do not attempt to swim unless it is to reach a fellow survivor or a nearby shore, craft, or other floating object onto which you can hold or climb. Staying calm and still conserves heat.  If swimming, swim on your back, using only your legs if possible. The arms are critical to heat loss. Not using your arms to swim means that you can keep them folded over your torso to assist in insulation.  Swim downwind of a floating object if you are trying to reach it, rather than straight towards it. The wind will bring it in your direction. Once upwind of a liferaft, for example, you are unlikely to be able to reach it. Keep checking the object’s location and your progress towards it. If you decide that you cannot reach it, stop swimming, stay calm and stay still.  The body position you assume in the water is very important in conserving heat. Try to float as still as possible, with your legs together, elbows close to your side, and arms folded across your chest. This position - which may only be fully achievable if you are wearing a lifejacket or dry suit - minimizes the exposure of the body surface to the cold water.  If the lifejacket is fitted with a spray hood, put it on.

The hood protects the airways against spray.  The floating body tends to turn towards on-coming waves, with the legs acting like a sea anchor. If you have to, paddle gently to maintain a back-to-wave position. Although this may increase heat loss, you need to protect your airway from wave splash.  Link up with other survivors if you can: it helps location and rescue.  Keep a positive attitude of mind about your survival and rescue. This will extend your survival time. Your will to live does make a difference!

To be continued: see LIFE LINE August 2012

Estonian Voluntary Maritime Rescue held its annual general meeting, together with an international th conference dedicated to the 100 anniversary of the sinking of Titanic, in Tallinn on 14 April. The participants commemorated those who have lost their lives in the world’s waters.

Amongst the guests were representatives of the Finnish Lifeboat Institution and the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue. They emphasised the need for cooperation between maritime rescuers from different countries, and the important work done by the IMRF in organising cooperation between voluntary and state structures in many countries and in creating joint working groups to solve many important problems in maritime rescue. Shared statistical analysis, scientific research, and innovative and technical solutions are vital. Efforts to find the best experience, developing training systems according to the IMRF standards, and practical voluntary maritime rescue training events are equally essential.

Volunteers from Estonia, Finland & Iceland meet in Tallinn

The Operational Manager of the Finnish Lifeboat Institution, Jori Nordström, gave a presentation introducing the 115 year-old voluntary maritime rescue organisation - the state’s SAR system and the role of volunteers, its rescue equipment development and its training centre on Bogaskär. Current strategic issues in Finland are the development of an information system and a new training system, bringing in new volunteers, and training new instructors.

Pall Asgeirsson and Sigurdur Vidarsson introduced the Icelandic SAR system, where volunteers cover all rescue operations and the state has a coordinating and managing role. At present there are 95 rescue teams, functioning in a cooperative network and active in accident prevention. Multi-level and multi-lateral cooperation have helped to develop Icelandic SAR which is the most popular ‘brand’ in Iceland.

Estonian Voluntary Maritime Rescue, with just two years cooperation experience, is still a ‘baby’ - but growing! Ten independent voluntary organisations, with 150 members in all, participated in 46 rescue and assistance missions in 2011, and organised 32 different prevention events.

All agreed that intensive Nordic and Baltic cooperation would bring new organisations more rapidly to the international level of SAR competency desired. page 6

LIFE LINE

June 2012

Changing communications Peter Blackhurst, Head of Safety Services at IMRF Member Inmarsat Maritime, writes: th

The night of the 14 April 1912 was certainly one that is remembered for a multitude of reasons, not least that the “unsinkable” Titanic foundered after striking an iceberg with subsequent massive loss of life. The night of the th 13 January 2012 will probably not be remembered quite so well in 100 years. For many, even now, it may not be the first thought that this was the night the Costa Concordia struck rocks and subsequently sank.

Thankfully the loss of life was less, but it does focus our minds on how we manage major disasters at sea, especially where mass rescue is concerned.

However, one point about the loss of Titanic not always recognised by the general public, or even by many in the marine industry, is the change in legislation that came about subsequently. The disaster led to the publication of SOLAS, and many new requirements relating to radio communications. These included the introduction of carriage requirements and standardised radio watchkeeping hours, distress frequencies and message priorities (distress, urgency and safety), and silence periods were introduced for distress traffic.

So what do Titanic and Costa Concordia have in common? Many instances could be quoted - but it is striking that both carried the latest in technology, for their time, especially where communications are concerned.

The advancement of technology after the demise of Titanic was immense, but up to 1999 there was still a requirement for radio officers to keep watch and, although wireless telegraphy (WT - Morse Code) had declined and satellite communication was in its ascendency, High Frequency (HF) voice and telex were still used, radio watchkeeping was still limited to the radio officer, and a 500 kHz WT auto-alarm was still st required. Then, on the 1 February 1999, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) was fully implemented, after a seven year wait since it was first introduced in 1992.

Watchkeeping moved into a completely new era. Now, whenever the ship is at sea, the distress and safety channels are continuously monitored by the equipment and if an urgent message is received an alarm attracts the officer of the watch’s attention. If the vessel gets into trouble herself, the simple activation of a distress button for 5 seconds will ensure that an alert will be sent to a rescue coordination centre (RCC) and other vessels.

But this is really not even half of the story. In an era in which mobile phones have gone from being the size of a house brick to the devices we currently use, with touch screens and “apps” that can do the most amazing things, maritime communications have really not evolved in line with technology.

However, things are going to change. The International Maritime Organization is now reviewing the GMDSS; and e-Navigation [a concept designed under the IMO’s auspices to increase safety and security through better organization of data on ships and on shore, and better data exchange and communication between the two] is bringing in new thinking and technology.

So what can we expect as far as communications are concerned? Better use of spectrum is clearly high on the agenda with more wireless requirements, enhanced connectivity and greater throughput. There will also be a big drive for digitisation, channel sharing and higher bandwidth. But there will also be the need to ensure that existing systems, especially safety-related ones, remain operable and that the needs of developing countries are still considered as these changes march on.

Where do we see most change? Less regulated and more flexible general communications will undoubtedly set the pace. Internet Protocol (IP) networking connectivity and enhanced speed of data exchange through improved satellite capabilities have brought about massive changes over recent years. On-demand speeds of up to 432 kb/s on an IP connection and dedicated ‘pipes’ for video streaming are now commonplace. Coupled with crystal-clear voice connections, these have bought the connectivity you would expect at home to shipboard operations.

Inmarsat has used these reliable connections to provide a new voice distress service. This service matches the existing requirements for satellite distress calling as laid down by the IMO, with innovations including end-to-end test capability, full network monitoring whilst the distress is in progress, and email notification to the RCC advising caller’s details, including name, terminal ID and vessel position. Due to the new network capabilities, an additional shore-to-ship service has been introduced for registered RCCs, enabling them to make distress calls with full priority and pre-emption free of charge.

At the time of writing, one major manufacturer is providing a reasonably-costed upgrade to their FleetBroadband terminals and it is anticipated that other manufacturers will follow suit. Other enhancements will soon provide users with data distress alerting, receipt of maritime safety information, and other services that are only available from Sat C at the moment.

We are at a point where changes can be made to enhance maritime safety without their having to be triggered by a maritime accident. Communications systems can be brought into line with the latest technology whilst still embracing the GMDSS systems that have saved numerous lives already.

Titanic triggered huge changes to enhance seafarers’ safety. Costa Concordia highlighted how an accident at sea still has a massive potential for loss of life. High quality, reliable communications are still essential.

Let’s not wait until disaster strikes before we bring change about. page 7

LIFE LINE

Mass rescue - past, and present

This is Captain Arthur Henry Rostron, who, in April 1911, was the 42-yearold Master of the RMS Carpathia. He should be counted among the heroes of the Titanic disaster, of which we have heard so much during this centenary year.

Carpathia, of course, was the ship which picked up Titanic’s survivors the ‘vessel of opportunity’, as we say today, which conducted the SAR operation. Her actions are sometimes overlooked or taken for granted by those commemorating the famous disaster. But they should not be.

They are certainly of special interest to the IMRF as regards our mass rescue operations project.

Why? What relevance does this aspect of that tragic story still have, one hundred years on?

Well, the simple answer is that Capt Rostron and his crew prepared for and performed the rescue brilliantly.

It was something of a masterpiece of planning. And careful planning - as a concept - does not date.

Walter Lord, in his classic account of the Titanic disaster, A Night to Remember (1956), begins by recounting the speed at which Rostron reacted to the news his radio operators brought him in the very early hours of 15 April 1912, immediately turning his ship toward the Titanic’s distress position. Lord also tells how Rostron and his ship’s engineers managed to work Carpathia up from her customary 14 knots to (for her) an astonishing 17, the off-duty stokers joining their colleagues in pouring coal into the boilers, and the engineers shutting

June 2012

down the ship’s domestic hot water and heating so as to use every available scrap of steam to drive the Cunarder northwards.

Lord goes on: ‘Next, Rostron sent for First Officer Dean. He told him to knock off all routine work, organize the ship for rescue operations.

Specifically, prepare and swing out all boats ... rig electric clusters [lights] along the ship’s side ... open all gangway doors ... hook block and tackles in each gangway ... rig chair slings for the sick and injured, canvas and bags for hauling up children at every gangway ... drop pilot ladders and side ladders at gangways and along the sides ... rig cargo nets to help people up ... prepare derricks to hoist mail and luggage aboard ... and have oil handy to pour down the lavatories on both sides of the ship, in case the sea grew rough.

and we have moved away from ‘pouring oil on troubled waters’.

Medical experts would probably not approve of some of those “restoratives and stimulants”; and the attempt to keep what was happening from Carpathia’s own passengers did not really work.

News spread as news will - and many would later play their own part in tending the rescued.

But it is the sheer completeness of the planning that is so impressive especially when it is remembered that Rostron, like just about everyone else involved, believed that he would find Titanic still afloat when he arrived.

‘Then he called the ship’s surgeon, Dr McGhee: collect all the restoratives and stimulants on the ship ... set up first-aid stations in each dining-saloon ... put the Hungarian doctor in charge of third class ... the Italian doctor in second, McGhee himself in first.

‘Now it was Purser Brown’s turn: see that the chief steward, the assistant purser and himself each covered a different gangway - receive the Titanic’s passengers ... get their names ... channel them to the proper diningsaloon for medical check.

‘Finally, another barrage of orders for chief steward Harry Hughes: call out every man ... prepare coffee for all hands ... have soup, coffee, tea, brandy and whisky ready for survivors ... pile blankets at every gangway ... convert smoking-room, lounge and library into dormitories for the rescued ... group all the Carpathia’s steerage passengers together, use the space saved for the Titanic’s steerage.

‘As he gave his orders, Rostron urged them all to keep quiet. The job ahead was tough enough without having the Carpathia’s passengers underfoot...’

One hundred years later, we find the careful class division of survivors odd

What can we learn from this?

Speed of reaction is one point: acting quickly on information that may at first seem barely credible.

Carefully planned and comprehensive preparation is another. Capt Rostron was able to imagine clearly the range of challenges which he and his crew might have to face (right down to recovering the Royal Mails, if that had been possible).

That preparation paid off when Carpathia arrived on scene.

We should also note that the need for ‘ships of opportunity’ in mass rescue operations (and their ability to help, including the ability to recover people from survival craft or from the water) remains as clear now as it was a century ago.

But it is the planning that is the main point here. Much of it can be done before the accident even occurs - and it is vital to successful response. page 8

LIFE LINE

June 2012

Capabilities & Needs

Lifeboat for Sale

Radios Broadcast

Th e I MR F ’ s Me mb e r s A s s i s t i n g Me mb e r s mutual aid scheme is now up and running, and all IMRF Member organisations have been asked to consider taking part in it.

In the spirit of the IMRF’s Members Assisting Members initiative (see this page), we are very happy to include in this edition an ‘advertisement’ of a former RNLI Lifeboat for sale.

Regular LIFE LINE readers may recall our report in our October edition last year of another example of one IMRF Member helping others.

The scheme is designed to facilitate the sharing of resources and expertise.

Such mutual aid is, of course, a fundamental aim of the IMRF: the idea underlying this scheme is not new. Members Assisting Members simply provides a means of communicating capabilities and needs among the IMRF membership.

The RNLI have generously announced a substantial discount in the price for IMRF Members.

The first stage of this process is an audit of our Members, asking them to consider what their own organisation’s needs are; and what help they may be able to provide to others.

F or e xample , on e Memb er might need second-hand equipment.

Another may be able to provide it.

Economies of scale can be achieved by combined ordering. Assistance with training, or safety campaigns, or fundraising initiatives can be asked for and provided. There are many ways in which those in the maritime SAR world can help each other - to the benefit of everyone at risk in the world’s waters.

The results of our audit will be published on the IMRF website, www.international-maritime-rescue.org.

As matches between offers and requests are identified, the IMRF Secretariat will act as broker, bringing the appropriate Members together.

Thereafter the transaction will be between the Members themselves.

If you are interested in the Members Assisting Members scheme, please contact the IMRF Secretariat at secretariat@international-maritimerescue.org.

Members Assisting Members is about specific, usually bilateral, assistance projects. But you can also help your SAR colleagues around the world by sharing your news, your projects, your events, your ideas, and your lessons learned. The value of sharing information and experience like this can be immense - and sharing is what the IMRF is all about!

The IMRF offers two more ways to do this: our website and, of course, this newsletter.

Please send your contributions to news@internationalmaritime-rescue.org.

The vessel is a Tyne Class AllWeather Lifeboat: length 47ft (14.3m); beam 14ft (4.48m); displacement 27 tons; speed 18 knots; and with a range of 240 nautical miles. She is designed to carry a crew of six.

The Tyne Class was primarily designed as a slipway-launched Lifeboat: a launch method which requires the propellers to be protected. As a result the class is also suitable to lie afloat at stations where propeller protection is required by local conditions.

The buyer will be asked to arrange collection from the RNLI’s headquarters, at Poole in Dorset, England.

For further information - including guidance on shipping - and/or to arrange a purchase, please email the RNLI’s Adrian Frogley at afrogley@rnli.org.uk; or telephone Adrian on +44 (0)1202 663 442.

In this case, the United Kingdom’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (part of the UK’s Department for Transport, and responsible for maritime SAR coordination, among other things) were renewing the handheld radios used by the Coastguard Rescue Service: the volunteers who support Her Majesty’s Coastguard by providing coastal search and cliff & mud rescue services.

The MCA very generously offered to recondition a large number of the surplus units for distribution by the IMRF to other Members less able to afford such vital communications facilities.

As might be expected, t h e r e wa s g r e a t interest in this proposal, and the IMRF Secretariat have had to ration supplies to some extent. There is no question that the need for such equipment is there: the difficulty, as always, lies in filling that need.

That has not been the only difficulty: shipping radios and batteries in this security-conscious age is not a simple matter - and we apologise to Members who have had to wait longer for their radios than they might have hoped.

Adrian notes that the RNLI can also offer training and lifeboat set-up programmes to the purchaser, again at special prices.

However, the MCA’s generosity h a s r e s u l t e d i n i m p r o ve d communications (and therefore improved SAR) for a mix of public and charitable organisations in Estonia, Russia, Bulgaria, Malta, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, the Philippines, and across some thirteen States in the Caribbean region.

This is an example of one IMRF Member offering to assist another in a practical and cost-effective way. The IMRF stands ready to help facilitate this sort of mutual SAR support whenever we can.

So: Members Assisting Members is the name of the IMRF’s scheme; and it’s about sharing expertise as well as equipment. Please contact us about it as appropriate: for details, see the article on this page. page 9

LIFE LINE

SEND a message In the last edition of LIFE LINE we considered the problem of the GMDSS (the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, recognised internationally for use at sea in emergency and safety cases) not being able to keep up with innovative developments in communications systems (‘SPOT the difference’; LIFE LINE, April 2012). In particular, we looked at the devices now on the market known generically as ‘SENDs’: satelliteenabled emergency notification devices.

The concern is that people will buy devices offering (or appearing to offer) an emergency location function instead of systems integral to the GMDSS, with the resultant risk that alerts may not be delivered to the right place, or may not be delivered at all.

The IMO (in its MSC Circular 1365, available from the IMO website, www.imo.org) notes that ‘these commercially available locating, tracking and emergency notification devices are not compliant with internationally accepted performance standards and operational criteria for global distress alerting and therefore may be ineffective in emergency situations.’ The IMO therefore recommends making the following information available to providers of these devices and to their users or potential users.

Users subject to IMO / ICAO regulations should carry a 406 MHz distress beacon compatible with the established international CospasSarsat system. Non-regulated users may carry emergency notification devices (SENDs) instead. However, says the IMO, ‘these devices, and the services offered, should meet performance standards and operational criteria equivalent to 406

June 2012

MHz beacons if they are expected to provide equivalent functionality’.

If a device or service falls short of these standards and criteria, these limitations should be clearly indicated to the user by the manufacturer.

These limitations may include:  a lack of global coverage  delayed alerting of the responsible SAR authority  diminished location accuracy and homing capability  a lack of automatic activation and survivability in the aeronautical and maritime environments  reduced capability

user

identifier

In order to ensure timely and effective alert notification to the responsible SAR authority usually a rescue coordination centre (RCC) - individual States may require SEND providers to establish and maintain a user database that can be correlated with the transmitted data and reliable contacts with relevant SAR authorities.

Providers should also agree procedures with the State concerned, including test procedures, provision of SAR and user data on demand, acceptable information format(s) and efficient resolution of false alerts.

Furthermore they should demonstrate that they can alert the relevant SAR authorities at any time and within 5 minutes of a confirmed distress situation, with positive confirmation of receipt by the responsible SAR authority; and that they have robust and e f f e c t i ve procedures for distribution of alert notifications.

This would include training processes and backup systems to ensure resilience.

In order to give users a clear indication of actual effectiveness in emergency situations in specific areas, States may also require providers to give potential users a list of those States with which proper arrangements have been made, and the coverage achieved.

All very sensible provisions - but we should note that it is the responsibility of individual States to put such rules in place...

Exchange your crew!

In addition to her sterling work with the IMRF Secretariat, Ann Laing runs the Maritime Rescue Institute, in Scotland. She writes here on behalf of the MRI.

We are delighted to be part of IMRF, and to support the new European Regional Group initiative of International Crew Exchange. This programme is led by the Dutch KNRM, who have submitted an EU funding application on behalf of the other participating countries - UK, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Norway and Iceland - to pay for travel and accommodation costs.

The first exchange will take place in October and will become an annual European event. We hope that it can be replicated in other IMRF Regions.

What an opportunity for crew of all levels to see, learn from, and debate with their international associates!

For many years the Maritime Rescue Institute has hosted volunteer crew from SAR organisations around the world at our base in Stonehaven. We have a beautiful but challenging coastline, and an independent way of looking at SAR, from the perspectives of both the most developed services and of those who are very much at the development stage. We learn just as much from our visitors as we can teach, and we encourage an openminded and honest exchange of knowledge and experience.

We are great believers in three things: Environment – Tools – Skills. Know your environment, know your tools, and put your skills to use. We also believe in knowing your limitations.

And the key is that this is a team effort - the coxswain cannot do it alone.

Basic seamanship skills are vital: over-reliance on technology must be avoided. Moreover, what’s best in one part of the world need not be so in a different environment, culture or resource situation. Training and equipment must be fit for purpose.

Here at MRI we hope to offer training, workshops and discussion forums for many years to come.

page 10

LIFE LINE

June 2012

Saving lives through education There is an old adage that if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day - but if you teach him to fish, you feed him for life. A bit simplistic, but it makes a useful point.

The same must be true of lifesaving. If you save a drowning man, he will be grateful. But if you teach him the basic water safety skills - especially if you can catch him young and make it fun he may not need you to save him at all; or at least he’ll be more likely to survive long enough for you to do so.

At their European Regional Meeting held in Oslo in October 2011, IMRF Members noted that addressing water safety education (and thus accident prevention or mitigation) was high on the list of objectives agreed at the IMRF QGM in August.

issues such as flooding. Schools visit the MRI for class field trips, which are activity- or topic-related and always include aspects of coastal awareness, water safety and search and rescue.

In recent years, MRI’s education programmes have expanded and, through specific funding, now include working with primary, secondary and further education institutions to produce appropriate educational material. Last year MRI produced ‘treasure chests’, which contain various maritime or SAR-based materials. Ten local primary schools received a chest; and all welcomed the fact that the topics fit neatly into the school curriculum.

Through their programmes MRI have found that safety messages and knowledge of the work the charity does reach parents and other relatives too, helping expand awareness across the community. This leads to further s u p p o r t , a n d h e l p s wi t h fundraising, the recruitment of volunteers and the development of the charity’s work.

Hilde Hamre of Norwegian Sea Rescue is now leading a small group John Leech of Irish Water Safety, Romano Grandi of Italy’s National Rescue Society, and Ann Laing of the Maritime Rescue Institute (MRI), Scotland - in the initial stages of gathering and promoting information which can be shared with the IMRF membership. Although this is a European Region initiative, we want to encourage exchange of ideas among all IMRF members on this subject.

Let’s look at an example of the sort of thing that can be done. The details may not ‘read across’ directly into your own circumstances - but the aims surely do.

The team at MRI - a small charity based on the east coast of Scotland began a range of educational programmes in 2001 in an attempt to get some serious safety messages across. In addition to training lifeboat crews from around the world, and testing new equipment, the MRI provides a lifeboat service itself - and had begun to be concerned by the number of their coastal incidents which involved young people.

Fun & games - with a serious point - in Stonehaven. The ‘treasure chests’ are shown above.

Over the last decade the MRI has developed a range of educational programmes tailored to suit all age groups.

The core message of all these programmes is to enjoy your coastal environment whilst being safety-aware.

These programmes promote a range of skills which often reflect those required by the lifeboat crew. These include: Leadership, Teamwork, Communication, and Social Responsibility. Whilst the participants have fun and learn new skills, MRI incorporates crucial safety messages to improve awareness and therefore reduce the number of incidents and fatalities. The programmes are aimed at all ages ranging from 3 years old to adult. They focus on water safety and rescue and can also incorporate local

MRI’s latest project is called “Waterproofing” and involves working with schoolchildren to produce material promoting coastal awareness for their peers.

This has also included swimming pool training sessions teaching water safety awareness and rescue techniques, using throwlines. The MRI hopes to expand these training sessions by offering them to other schools at a small cost, generating income for the charity by doing so.

MRI has also worked with the local police as part of their ‘Coasting’ initiative, which targets youths involved in incidents along the coast. The teenage bravado game of ‘tombstoning’ (being dared to jump off cliffs, usually without any regard to depth of water, currents, or other hazards), has become popular in the past few years around the British coast and has resulted in a number of rescue incidents.

Part of the MRI education programme is to point out the risks involved.

Hilde, the IMRF project group leader, is looking for more information about initiatives of this sort to add to the debate and create a lively forum!

She can be contacted at Hilde.Terese.Hamre @redningsskelskapet.no; or you can contact Ann Laing at a.laing@international-maritime-rescue.org.

Have a look at the ‘education’ section under ‘projects’ in the Members’ area of the IMRF website too: www.international-maritime-rescue.org.

page 11

LIFE LINE

June 2012

News from Liberia

News from Brazil

In 2000, African States agreed to coordinate regionally to ensure effective maritime SAR. Regional MRCCs have been established in Mombasa, Cape Town, Lagos, Monrovia and Rabat. Multi-lateral agreements have been signed and Regional SAR Committees established.

Equipment has been supplied for national RCCs, and personnel have been trained.

Another tale of international cooperation. ‘Angels of the sea and the mission of saving lives...’ reads the caption.

IMRF Trustee Jorge Diena writes: ‘Last year, when I was in Itajaí, I met two people who manage a lifesaver school in Portugal. They have managed to organize an e xchange program [with IMRF Members Anjos do Mar] and now four of their students are in Itajaí giving lectures and receiving instruction on how to handle jetskis.’

Dr Catarina Queiroga, representing the lifesaving cooperative, adds: ‘I congratulate the four students and the whole training, administrative and educational team which has contributed and continues to contribute to the personal and professional success of our graduates.

Everything to save more lives!’

On 25-27 April representatives of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia met to discuss progress. The meeting was coordinated by the IMO and the IMRF’s Udo Fox provided technical facilitation.

The participants considered their multilateral agreement, the SAR system concept, and SAR organization and management. They discussed the strategic planning process, the development of resources, and regional, national and operational SAR plans.

To establish a fully-functioning SAR system over such a huge area is a colossal task at the best of times - and there are additional challenges to face. The 2010-11 political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, for example, led to the loss of SAR equipment, including some assigned to the new Maritime Rescue Sub Centre in Abidjan. Other challenges include limited funding and a lack of trained personnel: some centres cannot yet operate 24/7.

Resource assessments and enhanced SAR planning are also needed.

There is much to do - but there were have been many successes too, most obviously measured in the lives being saved. The work continues.

Titanic - the last word...?

After all the centenary commemorations and discussions it is probably time to bid the poor old Titanic farewell - or so one might have thought. However, the BBC website reports that an Australian billionaire is planning to build a ‘Titanic II’ (www.bbc.co.uk/news, 30 April).

The plan is for the ship to be as similar as possible to the original Titanic in design - but built to modern safety standards. Clive Palmer, one of Australia’s richest men, intends to build the replica in China and have her ready to sail from London to New York in late 2016.

"It is going to be designed so it won't sink,'' he has told reporters, “But of course it will sink if you put a hole in it.''

Well: that’s a refreshing dash of Aussie realism to begin with! As with any ship, we wish her the best, if and when she sails. However, to quote Mr Palmer himself: “You never know what could happen...”

True - and that, after all, is why IMRF Members do what they do!

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@international-maritime-rescue.org.

Let’s spread the word, for the benefit of all at risk on the world’s waters.

LIFE LINE page 12