LIFE LINE
October 2015
The Newsletter of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF)
News… Experience… Ideas… Information… Development…
In this issue:
the first meeting of the IMRF’s new Board of Trustees news from Canada, the Caribbean, Singapore, Vietnam, Uganda, Morocco and China the ongoing crisis in the Mediterranean and more!
Still they come The flow of refugees and migrants across the Mediterranean – and across other seas around the world – goes on, and the huge pressure on SAR responders continues. What can we do? See pages 8 & 9.
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 KCMG, IMO Secretary General Emeritus Registered office: IMRF West Quay Road Poole BH15 1HZ United Kingdom Company Registration Number: 4852596 Charity Registration Number: 1100883
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
LIFE LINE
October 2015
Editorial
Contents
Welcome to the latest edition of your newsletter.
Editorial
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There is a focus on mass rescue operations in this issue; that is, SAR operations “characterised 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”, as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) defines them. We report on two major MRO workshops, for States in the Caribbean and in the Asia-Pacific region; and, in our regular ‘SAR Matters’ column, we consider the ongoing problem of domestic ferry disasters, particularly in the developing world.
Dates for the Diary
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But we also turn once again to the problem of mixed mass migration, and its implications for maritime SAR response: see the articles on pages 8 & 9. This has been called the SAR challenge of our generation, and it continues to cause great anxiety, for it stretches SAR organisations to their limits and requires enormous help from passing shipping, stressing crews and budgets alike.
Vietnam’s Safe Ferry programme
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Scouts learn water safety in Uganda
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African SAR Coordinators meet
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What keeps you awake at night?
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The IMRF’s CEO Bruce Reid, Board member James Vaughan and I attended an ‘informal meeting’ at the IMO in September, called by Italy, one of the countries most affected by the Mediterranean crisis, and attended by many other States and nonGovernmental organisations. The meeting discussed the adequacy of IMO’s definition of ‘distress’ – “a situation wherein there is a reasonable certainty that a person, a vessel or other craft is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance” – and unanimously agreed that not only should it remain unaltered but that it clearly applies to anyone in distress, no matter how they come to be there. The relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and of IMO’s SOLAS and SAR Conventions were also rigorously defended. Which is great – but it does not solve the problem. It was pointed out that what is actually required is not strictly a SAR operation at all. What is needed is a properly-resourced seaborne humanitarian operation, with SAR an emergency back-up. Focus must be kept on this. The IMRF will continue to play our part. Dave Jardine-Smith news@imrf.org.uk www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The new Board meets
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IMRF on the international stage
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Mass rescue in the Caribbean
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SAR Matters
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MOAS expands its mission
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Crisis in the Bay of Bengal
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Members Assisting Members .................
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Mass rescue in Singapore
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News from the APRC
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Follow us
Send us your news & pictures
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Dates for the Diary European Regional Meeting 28-30 October 2015 Åland Islands For details, email info@imrf.org.uk MRO Training Course 30 November - 3 December 2015 with China MRCC and Shanghai Maritime University Shanghai For details, email info@imrf.org.uk North and West Africa and West Africa SAR Regional Committee meetings February 2016 Details in due course
IMO Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications, Search & Rescue (NCSR) 29 February - 4 March 2016 IMO, London For details, email info@imrf.org.uk SAREXPO International 2016 Palais Des Festivals, Cannes
1-3 March 2016 See www.sarexpo.com
ISAR 5th International SAR Conference 28-30 May 2016 Hyatt Regency, Chennai, India See www.globalsar.com.my 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
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The new Board meets use these skills within the agreed role of the Trustees has been a good step in making the Board effective. IMRF Strategy 2015-2019 The IMRF’s new Board meets in Berlin: (L-R:) Jorge Diena, Udo Fox, Rikke Lind, Dean Lawrence, Mohammed Drissi, Zhang Rongjun, James Vaughan, Matthew Fader CEO Bruce Reid also attended – and not just to take the picture! He writes:
1st October 2015, Berlin, Germany was the dateline for the first meeting of the new IMRF Board of Trustees, elected at the Quadrennial General Meeting held in June in Bremerhaven. It was a really great meeting, which confirmed the IMRF’s strategic framework for the next four years, with intensive discussions on not just where we are going but how we are going to get there. Key points from the meeting Work over the first day was focussed on identifying the strengths and roles of the new Board, and reviewing the IMRF Strategic Plan 2015-2019. Determining and agreeing the role of the Trustees was teased out by facilitator Tom Banks of Castlefirth in the UK who had volunteered his time to help run the first part of the twoday meeting. The group identified the following key parts of their role: o Provide leadership and strategy o Set strategic priorities o Provide the secretariat with the right support and resources o Monitor performance against the strategy Chairman Udo Fox summarised that taking the time to understand the variety of skills now present on the Board had been an important exercise. Identifying how we can best www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The outgoing Board provided a new Strategic Plan for their successors to consider, focusing on how the organisation can build on the successes and evolution of recent years. The incoming Trustees reviewed and reaffirmed their support of the strategy that was supported by the IMRF Members when proposed at the QGM in June. Main points of the strategy are listed below. See also the June and August editions of LIFE LINE, available in the newsletter archive on the IMRF website.
Our Purpose and our Vision remain: to prevent loss of life, to promote safety, and to provide relief from disaster at sea and on inland waters throughout the world. Globally, deaths at sea and safety issues tend to be defined around o transportation (ferries etc) o labour (working on the water) o personal safety The international maritime SAR system is designed for the assistance of anyone in distress at sea. The IMRF should be similarly comprehensive in outlook and activity. What will the future IMRF look like? The IMRF will be representative of the global SAR sector, a more widelyknown and respected organisation able to influence policy at all levels. Built on a foundation of knowledge and expertise, the IMRF will provide significant maritime SAR consultancy and support services. Keywords? Representation, advocacy, influence; support & development; sustainable funding; commercial services: an effective IMRF.
Having a strategy is one thing, but having a plan to implement the strategy is another. There was significant discussion at the Board meeting on how to appropriately resource the IMRF secretariat to meet the current demand and future requirements. The IMRF vision is one of preventing loss of life in the world’s waters by: o promoting cooperation, exchange of information, research and development, advice and consultancy between the maritime SAR services of the world; o encouraging and promoting the formation and development of maritime SAR services throughout the world; o promoting public education and awareness regarding safety on water. The new strategy is held up by the five pillars of sustainable funding; representation, advocacy & support; SAR development; commercial services; and an effective IMRF. The Trustees looked at each of these pillars in turn to help establish a common understanding of the challenges and responsibilities, and how delivering in these areas will build the IMRF from where we are today, making us more effective and increasing our value to our members and the maritime SAR sector. An exercise of isolating each of the pillars was done. Each area was discussed at length to determine who (continued on page 4) page 3
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October 2015 © MOAS.eu
to the Mediterranean crisis – and maybe an expanded role – but it is important that we continue to advance the work being done in Africa, the Asia-Pacific, the Americas and the rest of Europe too.
the customer is and what value is derived. The outputs from this exercise will be used to build the implementation plan for the strategy. Priority in the discussions was given to sustainable funding. Funding of the IMRF has traditionally come from our Member organisations through membership fees and additional donations from a small number of donors. The growth in membership has not kept up with the increasing activity and demand on the IMRF, so it is time to change and build a more sustainable and diverse funding strategy. At present the secretariat is not resourced to address funding strategically, with a requirement to generate funds now to support activity already underway. The Trustees working with the CEO have agreed that the development of the fundraising strategy is a priority and assistance would be provided to free up the CEO to focus on this. The Chairman, Udo Fox, summarised that it takes time to make change and that the IMRF is only now being recognised by many in the wider global SAR community as being able to deliver value. Building support for the secretariat is essential and is a key priority for the Trustees. As a footnote to these discussions the membership does continue to grow. An increasing number of governmental organisations are choosing to join, in recognition of the value the IMRF provides at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in particular (see page 5) and the increasing amount of SAR development activity the IMRF is involved in. Day Two discussions Key discussions on the second day of the meeting focussed on the continuing pressure on SAR services by the mixed migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
Governance post-QGM 2015 The trustees were given overviews of current and planned activity in the Mediterranean by Rikke Lind, Matthew Fader, James Vaughan and Mohammed Drissi, all of whom have had direct involvement in the region. The IMRF now has eight member organisations involved operationally so discussion focussed on whether there is a role for the IMRF to play in helping coordinate. It was agreed that the first activity needed to be a discussion with all our Members either already involved or with potential to be involved in the future, to establish common areas that could benefit from coming under the IMRF banner. Email info@imrf.org.uk if you would like to be part of this discussion. Our members are engaged at both governmental and non-governmental level so there is no common model of engagement at present. The IMRF has kept engaged in discussions at IMO and with UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). We have also relaunched the Members assisting Members website, which is already helping support the SAR members in the region. See pages 8 & 9. The Trustees noted that we need to be careful to not lose sight of the other big issues facing us. Over 357,000 people drown each year. The current crisis in the Mediterranean is commanding our attention – but there are also an estimated 24,000 artisanal fishermen lost annually and over 1,000 lives are lost on average each year in ferry accidents. (See ‘SAR
The Board agreed that the World Maritime Rescue Congress in Bremerhaven in June had been a great success, and noted the results of the IMRF’s Quadrennial General Meeting too, which had immediately followed the Congress (see the August edition of LIFE LINE for reports of both). It was agreed that holding the two events at the same time and venue is very beneficial, as it enables more IMRF Members to participate. However (and even with the great support provided by our hosts and an enthusiastic team of volunteers) the workload placed on the IMRF secretariat was immense, and the need for careful review is clear. The Board began by reviewing the QGM processes: in particular, following feedback from Members, the IMRF Board election process. The secretariat have been asked to review the process and provide initial suggestions for future elections, bearing in mind the changing composition of the membership and possible constitutional implications of this; and voting allocations, including proportional representation concepts. With the next election four years away the prioritisation of this work will be subject to secretariat workloads, but we will, of course, keep the membership advised.
Matters’, page 7.)
There is no doubt that we have to continue to play a role in responding
Trustees hard at work, day two…
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IMRF on the international stage The IMRF has consultative status at the International Maritime Organization – the IMO; the United Nations’ technical body responsible for shipping safety, including maritime search and rescue. We represent maritime SAR services, from mission coordinators to rescue boat crews, at the international level. A key part of the IMO’s work in respect of SAR is done in conjunction with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). IMO and ICAO jointly own the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual, the three volumes of which provide guidance to State SAR authorities; to SAR Mission Coordinators, On Scene Coordinators and Aircraft Coordinators; and to the commanders of vessels and aircraft which respond to SAR incidents. IMO and ICAO SAR experts meet in a Joint Working Group each year, to discuss amendments to the Manual (which is updated every three years) and to work on other SAR matters referred to them by the two parent organizations. This year’s meeting was held at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario, in September. The IMRF’s David Jardine-Smith attended. It was a busy meeting for the Joint Working Group (JWG): the IMRF alone submitted five papers, and supported a sixth from Finland, and some 50 papers were considered in all, on subjects ranging from aircraft tracking to future alternatives to pyrotechnic distress signals. Here we report on some of the meeting’s results. Further details will be available on the IMRF website in due course.
The ICAO/IMO Joint Working Group at CFB Trenton
The IMRF reported to the Group the results of two of our projects to date: our guidelines for rescue boats of less than 24m length (that is, smaller than the lower limit applicable to IMO regulations) and the IMRF’s mass rescue operations project. Our paper on the Rescue Boat Guidelines included Parts 1 & 2 and introduced Part 3 – the web-based tool: see www. international-maritime-rescue.org/index.php/homerbg.) The JWG welcomed the project and noted their support for it in their report to IMO and ICAO. The Group also expressed their thanks to the IMRF for the www.international-maritime-rescue.org
October 2015
The ICAO/IMO Joint Working Group visits the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at Trenton; into whose SAR Region the whole of western Europe fits, with a lot of space to spare!
work done on mass rescue operations, and recommend that all SAR service providers make use of the online resource library at www. international-maritime-rescue.org/index.php/homemropublic. The JWG will review the MRO guidance in the forthcoming 2016 edition of the IAMSAR Manual to see if changes are required in the light of our work, with a view to making any necessary amendments in the 2019 edition. The JWG also noted the IMRF’s MRO workshop package: see the website! As remarked above, Volume III of the IAMSAR Manual is intended to be used by vessels and aircraft on scene. The Manual has developed piecemeal over the years, and we suggested to the JWG that it is not particularly userfriendly as a result. The JWG agreed, and have tasked us to lead an international editorial group in reorganising Volume III, ready for its 2019 edition. We tabled Kiersten Sanders’ report, Ferry Accidents: the Challenge of Rescue 2000-2015, which examines the SAR responses to ferry accidents identified by the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (see page 7). We emphasised that Kiersten’s report had to be largely compiled from informal sources because of a lack of formal, published investigation reports, and urged that such reports should be made and shared. The JWG agreed, and noted that this project was in line with the aim of establishing a global repository of SAR information. The Group asked the IMRF to continue to investigate the possibility of establishing such a resource. Finland provided the JWG with an update on their Vessel Triage project (see LIFE LINE, October 2014, page 11). The IMRF has supported this project, which seeks to improve multi-responder understanding of the condition of a ship involved in an accident, as an aid to SAR decision-making. The JWG were uncertain as to whether vessel triage is strictly a SAR tool. We believe that it is, in the sense that maritime emergency response should be holistic – but the value of the system does have to be understood for it to be useful. More work is needed here, and our colleagues in Finland are asking SAR services to trial the tool: please visit www.raja.fi/vesseltriage. page 5
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Mass rescue in the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a place of contrasts: a variety of beautiful islands favoured by the sun, but sometimes swept by hurricanes and rocked by earthquakes too. The people of the often tiny island States in the region are good at dealing with what nature throws at them, and they make part of their living from the tourists who come to sample island life. Many of those tourists come in cruise ships. The cruise industry is one of the safest forms of travel. But, as we know, accidents happen, and a cruise ship accident, although of low probability, will have major consequences. Ships are getting bigger: some sailing in the Caribbean can already carry over 8,000 people, and larger ships are building. A SAR incident involving that many people will constitute a mass rescue operation (MRO) wherever it occurs – but small States, with necessarily limited resources, will struggle to cope, and can be overwhelmed. The rarity of such emergencies makes the job harder. A region subject to hurricanes each year can develop sophisticated responses to that threat, but no-one can justify maintaining resources capable of dealing readily with a maritime MRO. There will be what the IMRF MRO project team calls a ‘capability gap’. A successful response to such a rare but challenging event depends on the relevant planners finding ways of filling that gap. At the end of September representatives of British Overseas Territories – mostly from the Caribbean – gathered in Miami for an inter-island MRO planning workshop, organised by the British Consulate and facilitated by MRO experts from the United States Coast Guard. Representatives of the shipping industry, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Disney Cruises, also took part; as did David Jardine-Smith, the IMRF’s MRO project manager. The Coast Guard team, led by Paul Culver (who masterminded Exercise Black Swan in the Bahamas in 2013: see LIFE LINE, June 2013, available for free download from the newsletter archive at www.internationalmaritime-rescue.org) ran a really excellent event over four days, combining presentations with workshop sessions and concluding with a lively tabletop exercise. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
Teams from Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos considered a range of subjects, focussing on the possible impacts of an MRO on their territories. They were asked to: review operational procedures related to the notification process to ensure all vital stakeholders receive timely and accurate incident information, and identify areas for improvement evaluate landing sites to ensure safety and effectiveness for an MRO, and identify country-specific processes to account for rescued personnel and for fatalities review recommended elements of an MRO management organisation and identify command responsibilities, personnel and the required skills evaluate the effectiveness of identified reception centres, including operational flows, and review recommended procedures. The tabletop exercise, which saw the remorseless advance of 2,400 people in lifeboats and rescue vessels toward a receiving port, was an opportunity to consider lessons learned during the workshop. Participants enthusiastically role-played the Incident Command System suggested by the IMO. At the close of the workshop the various teams were asked to list the main learning points they would be taking away with them. One example neatly summarises them all: o We need an MRO plan integrated with existing plans o It’s critical to select the right people for each function o A comprehensive understanding of the command system is required o We need to identify, and plan with, the resources available o Cruise companies’ response capabilities need to be better understood o Regional MoUs are required, to access assets not available nationally o We need to understand the operational planning and logistical objectives for both offshore and onshore mass rescue operations. page 6
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SAR Matters This column provides a forum for LIFE LINE readers worldwide to contribute to debate on any SAR issue. Have a look at previous discussions in our Newsletter Archive, online at www.international-maritime-rescue.org: every LIFE LINE since 2010 is available there for free download. You can join in the debate by emailing news@imrf.org.uk. It’s good to talk! In this edition we have a look at the continuing problem of domestic ferry safety.
The ongoing ferry disaster We noted in the August 2015 edition of LIFE LINE (available from the online newsletter archive) that the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) have analysed ferry accidents between 2000 and 2014 from around the world. They report that there were over 17,000 fatalities in ferry accidents in this period, with developing world nations accounting for 95% of them. Often when people think of passenger vessel accidents they think of cases that have hit world headlines, such as the grounding of the cruise ship Costa Concordia in 2012, or the fire aboard the ferry Norman Atlantic in the last days of 2014. These were major accidents and major SAR cases, of course – but most passenger ferry accidents are not so well reported, or, it seems, investigated, as the IMRF’s Kiersten Sander found when she set out to research the SAR responses to the accidents the WFSA had identified. (Kiersten’s report may be found at http://internationalmaritime-rescue.org/index.php/list-of-categories/file/989search-rescue-response-to-ferry-accidents-common-problemspotential-solutions-good-practice-by-kiersten-sander.)
Passenger ships trading internationally are subject to rules agreed at the International Maritime Organization – the IMO. These rules set out minimum standards for the construction, equipment and operation of ships, as well as the training of their crews. But they do not apply to domestic ferries: ships and boats vital to local communities, the regulation of which is the responsibility of local Governments alone. Far too often, local standards are set too low or are not enforced – and vessel operators say that anyway they can only make a living by breaking the rules, for their customers cannot afford the higher fares that improved safety provision would necessitate. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The latter argument may be morally unjustifiable in general – but individual operators cannot be expected to act alone. This is a hard reality with which we must engage. The IMRF’s role is to help improve maritime search and rescue globally. We define ‘maritime’ loosely, for the problems of major river and lake traffic have much in common with problems encountered at sea. We also recognise that ‘SAR’ is the end of a longer process. You can only rescue someone after you have found them. To find them alive, they have to be able to let you know that they are in trouble, and to survive until you can get to them; which implies the need for equipment and training. But the best way of ensuring that people’s lives are not threatened is to try to prevent accidents happening in the first place. SAR will always be needed in some circumstances – but we certainly support any initiative that means it will be needed less! We therefore strongly support recent moves at the IMO to address domestic ferry safety, even if such shipping is strictly beyond the IMO’s remit. The Secretary-General, Koji Sekimizu, has called for a new approach, and has announced the IMO’s intention to strengthen its technical assistance programme to this end. He has also proposed the development of recommended standards for domestic passenger ferries, to cover design, engineering, structural modifications, operation, manning, training, and survey and certification. The Philippines Government hosted a conference on the subject in Manila in April of this year. This resulted in the Manila Statement on Enhancement of the Safety of Ships Carrying Passengers on Non-International Voyages. The Statement urges States to work with other stakeholders on the problem, with the “long-term objective” of aligning national requirements with those of the relevant IMO Conventions. The Manila Statement also recommends the use of guidelines finalised by the conference and asks for feedback; and the IMO has now endorsed this approach. Meanwhile the WFSA continue to encourage improved safety from the design perspective, with their third student design competition for a safe, affordable ferry. This year’s challenge is to design a RoPax ferry for Indonesia: see www.ferrysafetydesigncompetition.org. The ‘ongoing disaster’ of passenger ferry accidents must be tackled holistically. The IMRF will continue to work with both WFSA and IMO, in support of our shared aim of saving lives on the world’s waters. (See also ‘Mass Rescue in Singapore’, page 10, and ‘Vietnam’s Safe Ferry programme’, page 11.) page 7
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MOAS prepares to expand its mission SAR charity, and IMRF Member, Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS – see www.moas.eu) will soon set sail for South East Asia to expand its lifesaving mission to another region of the world currently facing large-scale refugee movements by sea. “Our job in the Mediterranean is not over,” says MOAS founder Christopher Catrambone, “But we now feel it is our responsibility over the winter months to use our motor yacht, Phoenix, in another part of the world facing an equally challenging but severely underreported crisis.”
The 40m yacht Phoenix carries two 6-metre rigid inflatables and a Schiebel Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicle, shown flying astern. Operated by Schiebel personnel, the UAV is launched from the ship to locate and identify boats in distress, providing imagery in real-time, day and night, including under adverse weather conditions. The Rescue Coordination Centre is then informed and arranges help as necessary, including from the Phoenix herself.
Since commencing operations in 2014, MOAS has saved more than 11,500 men, women and children from the Mediterranean Sea. The Phoenix has now returned to her base in Malta to prepare for a month-long journey to the Bay of Bengal. “MOAS has helped establish a robust search and rescue presence in the Mediterranean, which today sees a number of publicly and privately funded vessels working to stop preventable deaths,” says Mr Catrambone. By transferring its high-profile action to the Bay of Bengal, MOAS will be shedding light on another aspect of this pressing global phenomenon in an area where there is no known non-Governmental rescue presence at sea. “Once the monsoon rains subside, tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya and others are expected to resume their dangerous sea crossings,” he added. MOAS director Martin Xuereb said: “MOAS will continue to monitor the situation closely throughout the autumn and winter months and plans to resume its Mediterranean operation next year. We thank our partners Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) for their invaluable support in providing postrescue care aboard the Phoenix throughout the summer.” Watch for the December edition of LIFE LINE, which will include an article by IMRF Trustee James Vaughan on an inspirational visit to MOAS in Malta www.international-maritime-rescue.org
UNHCR urges States to help avert Bay of Bengal boat crisis According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 1,100 Bangladeshis and Rohingyas drowned in the Indian Ocean between January 2014 and June 2015, and the number of attempted crossings is expected to increase. UNHCR is calling for urgent action before the end of the monsoon season unleashes a new wave of people leaving on boats from the Bay of Bengal. UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a press briefing in Geneva that, in the first six months of this year, some 31,000 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis departed from the Bay on smugglers' boats. This marks a 34-percent increase over the same period last year, and brings to 94,000 the estimated number of people who have risked their lives making the dangerous voyage since 2014. Survivors interviewed by UNHCR detail long and difficult journeys by land and sea, and often claim to have been towed or guided by authorities from one territorial water to another. At least 5,000 people were abandoned at sea by smugglers in May and eventually disembarked in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. Another 1,000 people remain unaccounted for but may have disembarked without the knowledge of the authorities. At least 70 people are estimated to have died on the boats that were abandoned in May. Of those disembarked, most of the Bangladeshi nationals have been assisted home with the support of their government. The Rohingya, who cannot return to Myanmar at the moment, remain in the countries in which they were landed. UNHCR's appeal for $13m to respond and seek solutions to the recent maritime crisis is only 20% funded. More funds are needed to enhance protection interventions for the Rohingya population in host countries, and to meet the humanitarian, human rights and development needs in source countries. With the next "sailing season" expected to start soon UNHCR is working on an information campaign warning potential travellers of the risks of getting on smugglers' boats. At the regional level, said Ms Fleming, more must be done to put systems in place to respond to the need for rescue at sea and for safe and predictable disembarkation. UNHCR looks forward to the establishment of a task force and is also participating in global discussions on migration and human mobility, including mixed movements by sea of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees. page 8
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Member Focus: Supporting global SAR development The IMRF have been approached by a number of rescue services in the Mediterranean who are struggling to keep up with the replacement of equipment being used to rescue the flood of migrants into their waters. To help coordinate this, we have relaunched our Members Assisting Members website, to help identify need and connect those who can help. The Hellenic Rescue Team of 2,000 volunteer rescuers in Greece are looking for lifejackets, helmets, dry suits and equipment for their boats, as well as hoping to increase their response capability by securing some additional 610m rescue boats. With a massive increase in call-outs due to rescuing migrants in distress on their waters, supplies are getting low and fundraising in Greece is difficult at present.
George adds that volunteers in Kos have participated in more than 70 missions in the last year and that 60,000 refugees had arrived in Mytilini, Kos, Lesvos and Samos in the past six months. Davide De Bernardin of MOAS notes that their rescues are always conducted in the safest and most professional way, but he has written to the IMRF because the latest rescues are becoming even more perilous and there is a new requirement for equipment. “There is still need of us out there and things are not going to change any time soon. We will be on station as long as is financially possible,” Davide added.
It is a similar story for the team at the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), who have extended their patrols (see page 8) and are starting to feel the squeeze. With close to 8,000 people rescued already this year the team are needing to replace VHF radios, helmets and SAR lifejackets for their crew. The German rescuers Sea Watch are also in need of lifejackets and inflatable rafts to help keep the people afloat until rescue services arrive. “The increasing number of migrants and refugees, who are fleeing countries on overcrowded, often unsafe vessels, is clearly having an impact on the resources and capability of Mediterranean rescue services,” says Bruce Reid, the IMRF’s CEO.
“The rescuers themselves need urgent help and we are reaching out to the maritime SAR community to get their support – mainly for equipment.” Georgios Kalogeropoulos from the Hellenic Rescue Team says that the work of their volunteers in Mytilini, Samos and Kos has intensified in the last few months. “Our branch in Mytilini took part in 141 SAR missions from February through to the end of May, while our station in Samos has helped more than 110 SAR missions from January to the end of May.”
Harald Hoppner, founder of Sea Watch says: “In what was only the organisation’s second coordinated SAR patrol in the Central Mediterranean, the vessel took part in five rescue operations in as many days. We rendered assistance to over 600 people during this period utilising all the available SAR equipment at our disposal – including 6 x 65 person life rafts. “The Organisation now needs to replenish its stocks and we would be most grateful if you could assist with the procurement of rafts. Specifically we deployed with the Beaufort 130 ORL life raft, which we found to be very reliable and practicable in the circumstances.” CAN YOU HELP? Members Assisting Members is a ‘Post Board’ for IMRF Members and IMRF Guests. Using the board you can request, offer, exchange, sell and/or buy equipment, services, training & education and support. The aim is simple: to help each other and to prevent loss of life in the world’s waters. Visit www.international-maritimerescue.org and click the link. (photos ©MOAS.eu)
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
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Mass rescue in Singapore
News from the APRC
IMRF Chief Executive Bruce Reid writes:
The IMRF attended a Maritime Safety Forum organised by the Maritime and Ports Authority of Singapore in August, facilitating a simulated mass rescue operations (MRO) exercise run by IMRF Associates Transas and the Wavelink Maritime Institute, and running a regional MRO workshop. Gu Yiming of the IMRF’s Asia-Pacific Regional Centre handled the logistics, and John Geel of IMRF Members the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM), and an IMRF MRO subject-matter expert, ran the workshop.
incident escalating to the point that an MRO is required. The exercise aims were to raise awareness of common MRO problems, and potential solutions; to enable discussion of the participating organisations’ MRO response roles and capabilities, and to further inform the IMRF’s MRO project. The exercise advanced in stages. An initial scenario was presented and the working groups considered a number of questions arising from it. The scenario was then advanced to the next stage, with further questions and discussion; and so on.
On the bridge at Wavelink
The simulation involved a collision between two passenger vessels. Delegates were able to take part from two responding vessels’ bridges, a patrol boat and a small tanker. The exercise demonstrated how multiple simulators can be used to train and prepare people for these large-scale incidents. It also provided a water-based perspective for many of the delegates who have officebased roles. Delegates were invited to get involved with communication, navigation and helming the ships. Navigating waters filled with debris, people and rafts demonstrated the complexity of this sort of accident. As usual in IMRF’s MRO workshops, a simple tabletop exercise was conducted, with mixed working groups considering a mass rescue scenario based on a fictitious cruise ship bound for Singapore from Hong Kong that gets into difficulty, with the www.international-maritime-rescue.org
Accidents of this kind do unfortunately occur in these waters, and the lively and fully engaged discussion between the organisations attending the workshop – from Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, China, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Norway, the Philippines, and Thailand – is likely to lead to improved response in future. Overall it was agreed that we can, and must, plan for mass rescue operations – and that effective communications at all levels are crucial to the success of those plans. Response agencies have planned inhouse for the ‘routine’ incident, but also need to work together in preparation for more complex ones. “In the end, being rescued from a large passenger vessel will always involve improvisation, but the success and effectiveness of this improvisation is determined by thorough planning”
The past six months have been busy for the small but hard-working team at the IMRF’s Asia-Pacific Regional Centre, who have coordinated a number of events to help improve maritime SAR in the region. Immediately following the World Maritime Rescue Congress the team ran the International Yachting Safety and Rescue Forum in China as part of the Shanghai International Marine Festival. (See LIFE LINE, August 2015.) The 4th APRC Board Meeting was held in July. The Board reviewed the activity through the APRC and were pleased with the good progress made in building membership and delivering the agreed meetings and training laid out in the work plan. China Rescue and Salvage and the Donghai Rescue Bureau discussed the continued support available to the APRC through the provision of office space in Shanghai and the staff manning the office. There are plans for more visits in the region to help raise the APRC’s profile. Discussions have been held with new members Düsseldorf Exhibition (China), aiming to provide an increased profile for lifesaving and water-based activity safety in the developing Chinese recreational boating market. A memorandum of understanding was signed with managing director Axel Bartkus, who expressed his excitement at the prospect of working with the IMRF to bring experience and knowledge to this market. In August the Regional Mass Rescue Operations Workshop was held in Singapore (see left) and a further MRO workshop is planned for November this year, in Shanghai. For further information please visit: www.international-maritimerescue.org/index.php/homeaprc page 10
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October 2015
Vietnam’s Safe Ferry programme
African Regional SAR Coordinators meet
Recent research by IMRF intern Kiersten Sander into the response to ferry accidents around the world (see page 7) uncovered a great story of community action in Vietnam to promote safer ferry travel.
IMRF Trustee Mohammed Drissi and CEO Bruce Reid attended the first Africa Regional SAR Coordinator meeting in Casablanca in September. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries, Morocco, and facilitated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the IMRF. It brought together Regional SAR Coordinators and observers from Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
In January 2009, when people were shopping to prepare for the traditional new year, a ferry carrying 80 passengers and cargo across the Gianh River in Quang Binh province capsized, killing 42. The tragedy motivated local young people to volunteer to help improve the safety of these ferry crossings. With support from the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union a ferry station was established manned by 10 of the youth members, initially paid but now volunteering. They are working with local operators to improve safety by encouraging the wearing of lifejackets by all passengers and preventing overloading of the vessels.
Many passengers were initially unwilling to wear the lifejackets but through the patience and good will of the young volunteers the compliance rate has increased and the safety of those using the ferries has improved. The programme has now expanded to 30 other provinces (mostly in the Central and Mekong Delta Regions) and is linking wharf owners with ferry operators to raise awareness of the risks and improve compliance with safety regulations. More than 1500 young people are now volunteering to support the programme. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
Scouts learn water safety in Uganda Austin Andemani of Royal Life Saving Society Uganda writes: 100 years of scouting in Uganda was celebrated in August at Kaazi National Camping sites by Lake Victoria. The event brought together more than 15,000 scouts from Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Southern Sudan, DRC, Libya, Uruguay and the UK, with leaders and staff from many more countries. Various activities took place at the event, including a water safety presentation by Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Uganda, whose team was also part of the rescue team. Many of the participants gave their experiences related to drowning. A scout leader from Iganga told how someone was drowning and he was the only one in the area. Since he had no water safety knowledge, he could only throw a stick to the victim, who, unfortunately, died. A Rwandan scout told how he was almost taken by a river current, but was rescued by his friends using a cow’s rope. Because the swimming pool was not yet in use and the nearby lakeshore was assessed as too risky, the RLSS practices were done on dry land. Many of the scouts and leaders appreciated the training, and have requested RLSS Uganda volunteers to go and train their scouts in their own districts, especially those living near bodies of water. Funding is being sought to enable this to happen.
The meeting discussed common challenges. These include funding constraints; inadequate SAR facilities and resources; communications with other regional Rescue Coordination Centres (RCCs); language difficulties, English not being standard; SAR training; planning for mass rescue operations; logistics; over-reliance on other parties to conduct SAR; difficulties in contacting the artisanal fishermen who present the major SAR problem; difficulties in maintaining and upgrading equipment, including software, and delays in repairs; and difficulties in driving the regional agenda forward. Addressing these issues, the coordinators agreed to initiate monthly inter-RCC communications tests, and to consider expanding liaison to include RCCs, in line with the African Maritime Charter. IMRF’s work in north & west Africa was discussed, and the sharing of results agreed; and training courses will be compared with a view to establishing a standard for Africa as a whole. page 11
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October 2015
What keeps you awake at night...? For Rear Admiral Daniel Abel, United States Coast Guard 17th District Commander, it’s the Coast Guard Cutter Healy. The ship is pictured here at the North Pole, which she reached on 5 September. Admiral Abel, speaking at a conference in Alaska, explained that the vessel is there on her own, in a hostile area. There is no buddy system for her and “there’s nothing with a US flag that is going to come save her” if difficulties arise. Admiral Abel was speaking in the context of a discussion about fleet availability and capability in the far North. However, the Coast Guard’s director of marine transportation systems, Gary Rasicot, told reporters at the conference that it is Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity that disturbs his sleep.
In August next year, Crystal Serenity will sail from Seward, Alaska, through the Canadian Arctic, to Greenland and then New York with 1,050 passengers and 650 crew members on board. The cruise is fully booked. “As a Coast Guardsman,” said Mr Rasicot, “I don’t want a repeat of the Titanic, and we need to make sure that we think this through. I want to make sure that those 1,700 people, when they lay their head on the pillow at night, will rest assured that if something bad happens we’ll be able to respond.”
A good night’s rest all round seems to be what’s wanted! But how is that to be achieved when, as the world warms and the northern waterways open up further each summer, more and more ships can be expected to head north – on ‘adventure’ cruises like Crystal Serenity, or to save valuable passage time? (See ‘Into the Arctic’, LIFE LINE, August 2014; available in the newsletter archive on the IMRF website, www.international-maritimerescue.org.)
Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, Charles D. Michel, spoke of the need for cooperation in the face of Arctic challenges. “The Coast Guard has always existed in a partnership type format – but it becomes increasingly important here in the Arctic and Alaska because of the great distances involved, the weather, and the tremendous logistics, communications and navigation challenges. Virtually everything up here is done by partnership,” says the Vice Commandant. “The Coast Guard can do almost none of this on its own.” Which is something common to all of us in SAR around the world. The opening Arctic is far from being the only ‘area remote from SAR facilities’, as the IMO puts it, where a mass rescue operation hardly bears thinking about. Yet think about it we must. Visit www.international-maritimerescue.org/index.php/homemropublic
Follow us... Social media are now a part of life in many respects. In the February 2015 edition of LIFE LINE IMRF’s Chief Executive, Bruce Reid, discussed the pressures that news and social media can place on SAR response (see the newsletter archive on the website.)
“Never before,” wrote Bruce, “Has the maritime SAR sector been as exposed or visible as it is today. Seconds after incidents occur texts are sent, photos uploaded and opinions posted… Instant media are now a fact of life. We must plan specifically to engage with them.” ‘Engagement’ is a two-way process. The IMRF is increasingly using social media to help keep people up to date with what we ourselves are doing. Have a look at www.facebook.com/ internationalmaritimerescuefederation, for example, or https://twitter.com/ IMRF. There are lively conversations going on. So: copy & paste the links. Follow us – see where we’re going!
And finally... We hope that you have found this issue of LIFE LINE informative and interesting. If you would like to contribute articles and pictures about your news, projects, events, ideas or lessons learned, please contact news@imrf.org.uk.
LIFE LINE www.international-maritime-rescue.org
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