LIFELINE April 2013 - English

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www.international-maritime-rescue.org

LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE

The Newsletter of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF)

News… Experience… Ideas… Information… Development…

In this issue:

a new IMRF Bookshop: save 20% on IMO publications!

the IMRF assists the International Committee of the Red Cross

news from Bangladesh, South Africa, Kenya, Finland, and the British Virgin Islands

how to eat an elephant...

and more!

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December 2010

December 2010

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December 2010

December 2010

A challenge from the Secretary-General of the IMO

Addressing the last meeting of the Radiocommunications and Search and

Rescue Sub-Committee (COMSAR) in January (see the February 2013 edition of

LIFE LINE at www.international-maritime-rescue.org), Mr Koji Sekimizu,

Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (pictured),

announced that “the reduction of maritime casualties by half in the foreseeable

future is my target. I would like to see annual casualties reduced from the current

annual loss of lives of over 1,000 toward less than 500. This needs collective

efforts, not only covering international shipping but also the domestic navigation and fishing sectors.”

After the meeting, Bruce Reid, the IMRF’s Chief Executive Officer, wrote to Mr Sekimizu, saying that “I know that I can

speak for our Board of Trustees and all our Members around the world in wholeheartedly supporting your intentions and

work in this regard. The objects of the IMRF are ‘to prevent loss of life, to promote safety and to provide relief from

disaster at sea and on inland waters throughout the world’. Clearly we share your aim, and we thank and congratulate you

for stating it and setting IMO Members and Observers this challenging but essential humanitarian target.”

However, Bruce queried the figures quoted, noting that they derive only from regulated sectors where reasonably reliable

statistics are available. The actual total of lives lost each year in the wider world’s waters is very much greater. Analysis

indicates that the toll may amount to several hundred thousand people annually, in all waters. And the SAR system

overseen by the IMO exists to save anyone in distress at sea; not just those working in the regulated maritime sectors.

Replying, Mr Andy Winbow, IMO Assistant Secretary-General, agreed that “The role of SAR services, the completion of

the Global SAR Plan [...] and the provision of adequate resources by Governments to effect SAR operations remain

priority issues for the Organization. In this context we look forward to IMRF’s contribution to the attainment of the

Secretary-General’s vision through its global activity on SAR.”

The challenge is, in a way, the same as it has always been: reducing the number of lives lost at sea. But, whatever the

numbers, Mr Sekimizu has now set a brave target; and he asks us – IMRF’s Members – to help achieve it.

We cannot, and do not, refuse the challenge. Saving lives is what we do.

LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE AApprriill 22001133

www.international-maritime-rescue.org page 2

Editorial

Welcome to the April edition of your newsletter.

There’s a phrase which will probably be very familiar

to many of our readers, but may baffle others! It is

that ‘there’s an elephant in the room...’

It means that there’s a

problem: a big problem –

so big, in fact, that we

would rather ignore it,

pretend it isn’t there.

The phrase has been

used in the context of the

IMRF’s mass rescue operations project. But in the

second in our Gothenburg conferences on mass

rescue one of the delegates talked about elephants in

another way. ‘How do you eat an elephant?’ he

asked. The answer? ‘One bite at a time’.

That’s the approach being used in our developing

water safety and education project (see page 8). It’s

the way we are addressing the mass rescue problem

too: this way, it’s not too big to tackle. It’s also the

way the IMRF is addressing the wider problem of the

gaps in the Global SAR Plan (see page 9). We cannot

fill all those gaps overnight: the challenge is so big as

to seem daunting. But – one bite at a time...

***

Exciting news! The IMRF Bookshop is open for

business! If you have an interest in any of the

International Maritime Organization’s publications,

you can now save yourself 20% by ordering through

the IMRF. Read all about it on page 3.

***

But there’s bad news on page 10. The Maritime

Rescue Institute (MRI) at Stonehaven, Scotland, is

well known in its own right – but its CEO, Ann Laing,

is also the IMRF’s Membership Secretary; and Jill

Greenlees and Wendy Webster, our admin team, are

based there too. The MRI has had a fundamental

place at the heart of our own organisation.

Now the MRI Board has decided that it has to cease

operations. The terrible damage done, to buildings

and equipment, by savage North Sea winter storms is

too heavy a blow to recover from.

We in maritime SAR work to save people from the

sea; but we cannot always be successful. This time

the implacable sea has defeated us, and we

ourselves are the casualties.

But we are survivors too, and will carry on. The contents of this newsletter are evidence of that.

Dave Jardine-Smith

[email protected]

Contents

A challenge from the IMO ................... 1

Editorial ................................. 2

Dates for the Diary ................................. 2

The IMRF’s new bookshop ................... 3

Cold water survival: a pocket guide ... 3

SAR in conflict ................................. 4

Ferry safety & SAR in Bangladesh ... 4

Major exercise in South Africa ... 5

SAR Matters ................................. 6

Member Focus: VISAR ................... 7

Water Safety & Education ................... 8

April Board meeting moves to Malta ... 8

Tragedy in the Gulf of Guinea ................... 9

Improving safety & SAR ................... 9

Asante sana! ................................. 10

A casualty of the raging sea ................... 10

And a silver lining ................................. 10

News from Finland ................................. 11

One of our manikins is missing ... 11

World Maritime Rescue Congress ... 12

KEGM-7 crew honoured ................... 12

GISIS ................................. 12

Send us your news & pictures ... 12

Dates for the Diary

Mediterranean Regional Meeting 16 April 2013

IMRF meeting hosted by The Armed Forces of Malta. For details,

see page 8.

Drowning Prevention Conference 24-27 April 2013

The Lifesaving Foundation’s 5th annual event, in Co. Meath, Ireland.

For details, see www.lifesavingfoundation.ie/conference.

USCGA National Conference 22-25 August 2013

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary event, in San Diego, California.

See www.cgauxinternational.org for further details.

World Conference on Drowning Prevention

20-22 October 2013

International Life Saving event to be held in Potsdam, Germany. See

www.wcdp2013.org for further details.

World Maritime Rescue Congress 1-4 June 2015

Advance notice of the IMRF’s next Congress and quadrennial

general meeting – see page 12. Further details in due course.

If you are planning a SAR event of international interest

which you would like to see listed here, please send the

details to: [email protected].



The 2013 edition of the IAMSAR Manual is

expected to be published in May, in

English, with the French and Spanish

versions following shortly after

And it’s not just the IAMSAR Manual,

of course. The 20% discount will save

you £2 per copy of the International

Collision Regulations; £19 on the

GMDSS Manual; £8 on Standard

Marine Communication Phrases;

£9.80 on the International Code of

Signals; £13 on the Medical Guide for

Ships...

The full list of IMO publications, and

the formats in which they are

available, may be found at

www.imo.org/Publications.

Orders made via the IMRF need to be

pre-paid (including any post & packing

costs). This is a new service for us,

and we will refine it as time goes on.

For now, Members can use our online

order form on the website (www.

international-maritime-rescue.org).

Or you can email orders@

international.maritime.rescue.org.

The IMRF’s new bookshop: big

savings for Members

The IMRF is pleased to be able to

announce another new service for our

Members!

We are now registered as a

bookseller for the International

Maritime Organization – the IMO, the

United Nations' agency responsible

for the safety and security of shipping

and the prevention of marine pollution

by ships; and, among other things,

the International Convention on

Maritime Search and Rescue and

(with the International Civil Aviation

Organization) the International

Aeronautical and Maritime Search

and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual.

Fine – but what does this mean in

practice?

A 20% saving for IMRF Members

wanting to purchase IMO publi-

cations, that’s what!

The IAMSAR Manual, for example, is

the core international guidance on

SAR. It is published in three volumes.

Volume I, ‘Organization and Manage-

ment’, describes how to establish and

run a SAR service – vital to those

developing such services around the

world. Volume II, ‘Mission Coordin-

ation’, assists those planning and

running SAR operations and

exercises. And Volume III, ‘Mobile

Facilities’, is intended to be carried

aboard rescue units, aircraft and

vessels to help with search, rescue or

on-scene coordination, as well as

those aspects of SAR that pertain to

their own emergencies.

To keep it up-to-date, IAMSAR is re-

published every three years – and the

next edition is due out shortly. But it is

not cheap: Volume I is priced at £25,

while Volumes II & III are £50 each.

Now, however, the IMRF is able to

offer our Members a substantial

discount when you purchase IMO

publications through the IMRF – 20%

off the IMO’s list price! For the full

three-volume IAMSAR Manual, that

would save you £25!

Cold Water Survival: a pocket guide

It is a sad fact that people continue to

die at sea through a lack of

knowledge about what is likely to

happen if they are exposed to cold

water, and how to mitigate the effects

of exposure. It is most important to

realise that you are not helpless to

affect your own survival chances.

Understanding your body’s response

to cold, and simple self-help

techniques, can extend your survival

time, particularly if you are wearing a

lifejacket.

The IMRF recently coordinated an

expert group which completely

revised the IMO’s guidance on the

subject – see LIFE LINE, April, June

& August editions, 2012. Now the

IMO have republished their popular

Pocket Guide on the subject. The

booklet is available online, as a

download, or in hard copy.

The guide examines the hazards of

exposure to the cold that may

endanger life, and provides advice

based on current medical and

scientific opinion on how to prevent

or minimize those dangers. It is

intended primarily for seafarers; but

will be of great help to rescuers too.

As well as survival guidance, it

provides information which will help

in the treatment of those rescued

from cold conditions.

Like all other IMO publications, the

Pocket Guide may now be purchased

at a discount if you are an IMRF

Member. Please see the article

alongside.

20% savings on all

IMO publications!

Formats available include

e-books, e-reader files, CDs,

electronic downloads –

and hard copy!

To enquire and/or make an

order, email:

orders@international-

maritime-rescue.org



SAR in conflict

The IMRF are assisting the

International Committee of the Red

Cross (ICRC) by circulating a

questionnaire on coastal rescue craft

among our Members.

The ICRC, established in 1863, works

worldwide to provide humanitarian

help for people affected by conflict

and armed violence and to promote

the laws that protect victims of war.

An independent and neutral

organization, its mandate stems

essentially from the Geneva

Conventions of 1949. Based in

Geneva, Switzerland, it is financed

mainly by voluntary donations from

governments and from national Red

Cross and Red Crescent societies.

The ICRC are updating their

commentaries on the Geneva

Conventions. This guidance, dating

back to the 1950s, includes an

interpretation of the articles dealing

with coastal rescue craft in case of

armed conflict. The ICRC have asked

for the IMRF's help in collecting

information for the update.

If you are an IMRF Member, your

organisation will by now have

received a copy of the questionnaire.

Please do take the time to complete it,

even if, happily, you do not operate in

a likely conflict zone.

Your responses will give the ICRC a

better understanding of the way in

which coastal rescue craft would

operate in case of an armed conflict.

This will improve the quality of the

update – to the potential benefit of

SAR people worldwide.

Ferry safety & SAR in Bangladesh

In early February the small ferry

Sarosh capsized in the Megna River,

near the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka,

after being in collision with another

vessel, carrying sand. It was initially

unclear how many people were

aboard: estimates ranged from 60 to

100. 23 people were rescued, or

were able to swim ashore. 14 bodies

were recovered.

Ferry accidents are common in

Bangladesh – a delta country of 153

million people – and scores of people

are killed every year. Such incidents

are often blamed on overcrowding

and poor quality of the boats used,

which are the main form of travel in

some rural parts of the country.

In March last year over a hundred

people died when a ferry on the wide

and fast-moving Meghna River

collided with an oil tanker and sank.

Interferry, our partner organisation at

the IMO, represents the worldwide

ferry industry. They are undertaking a

joint initiative with the IMO to improve

the shocking safety record of

domestic ferry operations in

developing nations. They report that

a pilot project arranged in

Bangladesh achieved some modest

success in the areas of crew training,

hazardous weather reporting and the

development of an electronic

database of vessels. But much

remains to be done.

Ferry Safety Information-Sharing

Forums have also been held in South

East Asia and the South Pacific.

These events all indicate that one of

the most difficult problems is the lack

of safe, affordable ferries.

Building on this experience, the

Worldwide Ferry Safety Association

(WFSA) organises an annual student

competition for the design of safe,

affordable ferries to serve developing

nations. Designs should accord with

the specifications of a particular

emerging-market nation. This year

that nation is Bangladesh.

WFSA’s Executive Director, Dr.

Roberta Weisbrod, explains that:

“We decided to emulate design

studios addressing other developing

world problems and thereby unleash

innovation for all. In addition to

generating new designs, another

goal is to let the maritime community

know about the opportunities in

emerging markets.”

Anyone interested in the competition

should email the WFSA at

[email protected]. But hurry!

Registration closes 1 April 2013, with

submissions due by June 1st. For

more information on Interferry’s

project, visit www.interferry.com/

ferry_safety_project.

The connection between improved

ferry safety – indeed; improved

maritime safety as a whole – and

improved SAR capability is a clear

one. We all want to save lives at sea,

whether by accident prevention or by

efficient response; and a drive to do

this in a particular country or region

should be holistic. Anything that

improves safety is to be encouraged

– but we know too that accidents will

still happen, and people need to be

ready to respond to them.

To this end the IMRF is working with

the Bangladeshi authorities on the

preparation of a mass rescue

workshop, as an evolving part of our

MRO project.



Major exercise in South Africa

IMRF Member the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI)’s Andrew

Ingram writes:

A major sea rescue exercise, ‘Operation Beachy’, took

place on Tuesday 12th

March at Mouille Point in Table Bay,

organized by the City of Cape Town Disaster Risk

Management team. It was a resounding success.

One of the largest exercises ever to take place in South

African waters, Operation Beachy involved 300 people, 101

of them as ‘casualties.’ The exercise started at 0915 when

a “cruise ship” (actually the South African Navy frigate

SAS Spioenkop) reported to Cape Town Port Control that

she had run aground. Her crew were fighting a blaze on

board and the ship was listing badly.

The Transnet National Ports Authority Harbour Master

assumed command of what was rapidly escalating into

a multi emergency services mass casualty rescue

operation. A JOCC (Joint Operations Control Centre)

was established at the Port Control Tower in Table

Bay, where emergency service representatives

gathered to coordinate the ‘rescue operation’.

The NSRI’s Table Bay, Bakoven, Melkbosstrand, and Hout

Bay rescue craft, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services,

the Western Cape Government Emergency Medical

Service (EMS) and the South African Police Service

(SAPS) were all activated. Firefighters and EMS

paramedics and rescue technicians were dispatched to

accompany sea rescue boats. The Skymed rescue

helicopter, Law Enforcement Marine Division rescue craft,

SAPS Sea Borderline and Dive Unit craft, an EMS rescue

craft and Transnet tugs also responded.

The first Sea Rescue craft to arrive at the casualty ship

assumed on-scene command and firefighters, paramedics

and NSRI rescue teams were put aboard the vessel to fight

the fire, search for and free entrapped crew and

passengers, and medically triage and treat the injured.

They were asked to rapidly evacuate a ship that “may

capsize at any moment.”

While this was underway a full scale shore emergency

services contingent responded to the Mouille Point

Lighthouse. Roads leading to the scene were closed to the

public and the area was cordoned off while Disaster

Management and Metro EMS established an on-scene

sub-JOCC, a landing zone, emergency medical treatment

facilities, a media center, and a refreshment center. Cape

Town Sports Stadium was taken under command by

Disaster Management to act as a secure zone for sorting

and treating casualties and to brief victims and relatives.

The first patients and survivors, as well as the ship’s

manifest, were brought ashore by Sea Rescue craft at

0950. Disaster Management administrative staff began to

establish the number of passengers and crew on board as

well as the casualties’ nationality. The media and foreign

consulates were briefed by the JOCC media

representatives at regular intervals.

A search had begun for passengers unaccounted for and

possibly lost overboard. South African Air Force 22

Squadron helicopters arrived on-scene to take critically

injured patients off the ship and to search for survivors in

the sea. NSRI rescue crews were deployed from the

helicopters to help prepare casualties for winching.

Treatment of injured passengers and crew took place on

the shore at Mouille Point and at the Cape Town Stadium.

Ambulances transferred the injured to local hospitals.

Customs officials dealt with clearing passengers entering

our country, social services assisted with trauma

counselling, the Department of Environmental Affairs

cleaned up the “pollution spill,” the Department of

International Relations and Cooperation assisted with

foreign affairs matters, Foreign Consulates dealt with their

countrymen and the Forensic Pathology Services took

over the care of those ‘deceased’. Throughout the

exercise the Ports Authority staff maintained normal

shipping operations without interruption.

Only one real casualty resulted from this exercise. One of

the young volunteers suffered some emotional stress after

being winched off the ship by a helicopter. She has

received trauma counselling and has recovered well.

During the exercise we experienced a strange

phenomenon: multiple ‘white illuminating flares’ were

sighted, but a search off Robben Island found nothing. It

is thought to have been a meteor shower, which was also

sighted from further inland. The Astronomical Society

report that this was natural for this time of year.

Brad Geyser, Sea Rescue JOCC Commander, said:

“Nature threw another curve ball during the exercise: fog

rolled in, although only briefly. While this hampered the

exercise it also gave us a realistic challenge, as

alternative arrangements had to be made for evacuating

passengers when helicopters could not do that leg of the

rescue in the fog. Craft that did not have navigational

equipment on board had to be guided, too – but these are

real obstacles we often face in real rescues,” said Brad.



SAR Matters This column provides a forum for LIFE LINE readers

worldwide to contribute to debate on any relevant SAR

issue. You can join in, or propose new items for discussion,

by emailing [email protected].

Or you can join the discussion on our SAR Matters Blog,

online at www.international-maritime-rescue.org.

Have a look at previous discussions on the website too, in

the LIFE LINE archive.

In this edition we consider

The cost of fish

The February edition of LIFE LINE noted the terrible story

of several hundred tuna fishermen missing in the wake of

Typhoon Pablo last December. Pablo is reportedly the

strongest tropical cyclone ever to hit the southern

Philippines, making landfall with winds of up to 140 knots.

By 15 December the cyclone’s known death toll had

reached 1,067, mostly on Mindanao, where floods and

landslides caused major damage on the 4th. A total of 844

people were still missing, about half of them fishermen.

A Filipino fisherman: seas three storeys high were

reported as Typhoon Pablo passed

It is perhaps understandable that the news media

concentrate on shocking images of devastation on land.

People missing at sea are less obvious. But the global loss

of life among artisanal fishermen remains appallingly high –

and is significantly under-reported.

Fishing is a dangerous industry worldwide. In Canada in

February the five crew of the Miss Ally were lost when their

boat capsized southeast of

Nova Scotia. Searching

aircraft spotted the up-

turned hull, but the men

had little chance in rough

weather and cold water.

The cost of fish is high.

Efforts to improve fishing

industry safety have been going on internationally for

decades. The differences in design and operation mean

that the international conventions on ship safety do not suit

fishing vessels; but a specific convention first agreed in

1977 failed to progress. It was duly replaced by the 1993

Torremolinos Protocol. Now – 20 years later, and following

a diplomatic conference in Cape Town last October – it

appears that the Protocol, duly amended, may be

implemented at last, if just a few more fishing States can

be convinced to ratify it. Yet it will only apply to vessels of

24m length and over; and then usually only to new ones,

with numerous other exemptions provided for.

International conventions have their place – but real

progress has to be made at the front line. The fishing

industry has to change its attitude to safety from within;

and to be enabled to do so. Maybe we should pay a little

more for our fish suppers?

Have a look at the website www.safety-for-

fishermen.org, hosted by the UN’s Food and Agriculture

Organization and managed by a selected group of

experts (including IMRF Members ICE-SAR) contributing

information and material on safety at sea in the fisheries

sector. This site is described as “the gateway to

information and material related to safety for fishermen”.

The important thing here is to ensure that people use that

gateway; that the safety information and support gets to

those it is intended for; and that it can be put into effect.

The best advice in the world is no good if it only sits

unread on a website, gathering cyber-dust. And it’s not

much use either to tell an artisanal fisherman that he

should wear a lifejacket if he can’t afford one or it gets in

the way. Even giving equipment, free of charge, is of

limited use. Who can blame a man trying to keep his

family fed from one day to the next if he then sells the gift

on? Even in the most developed countries and industries

the ‘safety culture’ is notoriously hard to keep alive.

But what has all this to do with SAR, you might well ask?

“Fishing is probably the most dangerous occupation in the

world”, says the Safety for Fishermen website: over

24,000 are known to die each year. Clearly, we must

respond to this. But we are the International Maritime

Rescue Federation. Is safety our business?

Yes. It must be. We should not address SAR in isolation.

Apart from the obvious benefits of improved safety –

preventing accidents in the first place – people who are

better prepared are more likely to live to be rescued when

an accident does eventually occur.

This is why the IMRF is running a water safety education

& awareness project. We are not, of course, in any kind of

‘competition’ with safety-first organisations. The opposite

is true: we will support, not duplicate, their work.

And in this case we wholeheartedly support the efforts

being made to improve fishing safety.

Let’s reduce the true cost of fish.



In the true spirit of sharing that epitomises the

IMRF, VISAR work closely with other Members.

Operationally, they have a close working

relationship with the US Coast Guard,

assisting with rescues in the US Virgin

Islands, and participating on a regular

basis in joint helicopter training sessions with

aircraft from the USCG base in Puerto Rico.

In terms of training and equipment, VISAR also share with

fellow IMRF Members.

Udo Fox, for example, of the German Maritime SAR

Service (DGzRS) – and an IMRF Trustee – has provided

training on SAR management and mission coordination.

And last November an RNLI team provided a week of

training in a range of SAR and seamanship-related topics

– for, as is so often the case these days in volunteer-

based maritime SAR organisations, VISAR’s crews do not

necessarily have a maritime

background. Subjects covered on this

occasion – based on a suggested

structure discussed between the two

organisations beforehand – included

search and rescue planning, dynamic

risk assessment, team management

skills, radar and AIS, traditional and

electronic navigation, boat handling

and basic seamanship for beginners.

VISAR’s relationship with the RNLI

has been a fruitful one since the

earliest days. One of the many, and

very important, benefits of IMRF

Membership is the ability it gives to

turn to fellow Members for information,

particular expertise and advice. (The

IMRF Secretariat can assist with this:

please see the ‘Members Assisting

Members’ page in the Members’

sect ion of our websi te , www.

international-maritime-rescue.org.)

An example of this sharing process in

action began with the IMRF’s World

Maritime Rescue Congress in China in

2011. VISAR saw user-friendly crew

lifejackets exhibited there, and decided

to upgrade. Before making this large

purchase, however, they turned again

to the RNLI, who were able to give

detailed advice based on their own

crews’ experience, and to recommend

the equipment. Why re-invent the

wheel, after all...?

For more on VISAR, see www.

visar.org. And if you are interested in

IMRF Membership, please contact

Ann Laing at a.laing@international-

maritime-rescue.org.

Member Focus: VISAR

Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR)

is the officially recognised voluntary search

and rescue service in the British Virgin

Islands – and an IMRF Member. It provides

24-hour cover throughout the year, in close co-

operation with the Royal British Virgin Islands police,

fire and ambulance services.

In early 1988, a team of advisors from the UK's Foreign

and Commonwealth Office made a number of

development recommendations to the Government of the

BVI. One of these was that the Government should invite

the group of people then running an informal SAR service

to create an "autonomous, para-professional, dedicated

volunteer maritime search and rescue service."

VISAR was founded as a result, modelled on the Royal

National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in

the UK & Ireland. Like the RNLI and

many other lifeboat services in Europe,

it is an independent organisation, and

is funded almost entirely by charitable

donations.

VISAR’s volunteers come from all

walks of life, and undergo rigorous

training in seamanship and small boat-

handling skills, SAR techniques and

first aid.

They have now carried out well over

450 SAR missions – some 85% of

them medically-related – and have

helped more than 1,200 people in

distress. They are directly responsible

for saving more than 40 lives.

VISAR operate two TP Marine RIBs,

one based in Tortola, the other in

Virgin Gorda. (See LIFE LINE, August

2012.) They also provide the BVI’s

maritime SAR coordination function,

providing cover for all the islands and

the waters around the BVI.

Both boats are able to operate in very

rough conditions. Each carries a full

medical kit, an AED (automatic

emergency defibrillator), a back-board

and straps, two oxygen cylinders,

search lights, and lifejackets for use by

casualties.

The boats also carry spare fuel, parts

and tools in the case of breakdown,

and are designed to provide protection

for the crew in the case of an

emergency, including capsize lights

and a CO2 self-righting bag on the

radar arch at the stern.



Water Safety and Education: project meeting sets the path

Most LIFE LINE readers will be aware of the key projects the

IMRF are working on. One of these is looking at how we can

share the excellent Water Safety Education programmes which

many of our Members have developed with the wider maritime

SAR community.

The steering group headed

by Ann Laing (IMRF

Executive Officer) met in

Dublin during March to

advance the project.

Attending the meeting

were John Leech (Irish

Water Safety), Romano

Grandi (National Rescue

Society of Italy), Tony

Wafer (RNLI UK) and

Kristin Dagbjartur (ICE-

SAR, Iceland).

As this was the initial meeting of the group, IMRF CEO Bruce

Reid also attended. Bruce set the scene, which started discussion

and debate among the attendees as they drilled into the topic and

identified the best way forward.

At first sight this seems a straightforward project. Many IMRF

Members run successful programmes and are happy to make the

material available to others.

However the amount of material available, the diversity of the

topics and the number of variables to consider make the

challenge quite daunting. So the pathway agreed was to take

some small bites out of the larger project, using the IMRF website

to start building the library of links and interest among the wider

Membership. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time...

This will give those Members who are looking for assistance in

this area a single point of contact where they can review

programmes and link directly to the organisations who own them.

While doing this there are some key issues to be resolved,

particularly around the protection of the property and the best way

to work within copyright laws. We also need to establish some

quality control for the material to ensure we are directing

Members to programmes that are already proven; and we will be

building the ‘backend system’ to manage contacts with those

interested and the library of knowledge available through the site.

There will be more information available in the coming weeks so

keep an eye on the website (www.international-maritime-

rescue.org) or click on the ‘expression of interest’ form on the

education page in the site so that we can send you updates via

email.

Bruce Reid commented: “The day in Dublin has helped advance

this project and it was fitting that a clearer idea of the IMRF role in

the education space came through from the discussions. This was

articulated by the group as the vision of supporting IMRF

Members to ‘end preventable loss of life and encourage personal

responsibility on the water’.”

April Board Meeting moves to Malta

Due to logistical issues, the April IMRF Trustee

meeting planned for Bangladesh (as reported in our

February issue) has been moved to Malta, very

kindly hosted by IMRF Members, The Armed

Forces of Malta (AFM). A new date for

Bangladesh is being scheduled for later this year.

Great work from AFM’s Lieutenant Colonel

Andrew Mallia has meant that as well as the Board

meeting there will also be a regional maritime SAR

meeting to take advantage of the Trustees’ visit.

The regional meeting will be on Tuesday 16th

April. Anyone interested in attending, please

contact the IMRF office for further details (+44

(0)1569 765768 or secretariat@international-

maritime-rescue.org.)

The meeting format will be more discussion than

presentation, as the IMRF Trustees hope to gain a

greater appreciation of the maritime SAR

challenges in the region and to identify areas in

which the charity may be able to assist.

One of the issues we will be very interested in

discussing is that of migrants in distress in the

Mediterranean. Increasing numbers of people are

leaving north African and eastern Mediterranean

countries, seeking refuge or a better life in Europe

– and they often do so in boats quite unsuitable for

the journey. Unknown numbers have died. This

stream of ill-equipped people getting into difficulty

places enormous pressure on the SAR

organisations in the region. Hearing first-hand

about this terrible problem from the experts faced

with it will give the IMRF Board the real picture.

We look forward to reporting back on a successful

meeting in the next edition of LIFE LINE.

To learn more about our hosts, The Armed Forces

of Malta, please visit www.afm.gov.mt.



Tragedy in the Gulf of Guinea

More than 100 people died in March in

a ferry disaster out in the Gulf of

Guinea, 40 miles from Calabar,

Nigeria. 128 passengers and 5 crew

are said to have been aboard the

wooden vessel: some reports suggest

higher passenger numbers. There

were fewer than 30 survivors.

One of the survivors, Kieve Sani, from

Togo, said that after the boat’s engine

failed it began to take on water and

subsequently sank. "When the engine

stopped, the driver asked us to pray.

Some prayed to Jesus, others prayed

to Allah; but this did not help as the

engine did not start working."

It was over two days before the

survivors were found by a vessel

belonging to Addax Petroleum, who

have an oil rig in the area. Mr Sani

said that he and a lady also rescued

“took hold of a cylinder along with two

other people, but as the days went by

the others became too weak and

unable to hold on to the cylinder and

were swept away.”

There is some confusion about the

details of the boat and her route. Most

of the passengers appear to have

been from Togo, Ghana and Niger,

bound for Gabon in search of work.

Some reports speak of illegal

migrants, and trafficking.

While we do not know – and may

never know – the details of this tragic

case, there are several recognisable

themes. An unseaworthy vessel, only

able to operate by overloading with

people only able to pay cheap fares. A

failure to raise the alarm once the boat

got into difficulty. A lack of survival

equipment. Little or no notice paid by

other than the local news media.

It’s another compelling reason for the

IMRF to continue our work.

Improving safety and SAR in the

developing world

We have drawn attention to ferry

disasters in the developing world

fairly frequently in these pages – and

have bemoaned the fact that, while a

major accident to a passenger ship in

the developed world grabs the

headlines for days, the dreadful loss

of life in the world’s waters among

‘The Other 90%’ often goes almost

unnoticed. The accident in the Gulf of

Guinea reported on this page is yet

another example.

The IMRF exists to help develop

maritime SAR worldwide, and one of

our projects aims to help improve

mass rescue operations; a subject

nobody in SAR can feel particularly

comfortable about.

There’s a lot to do. The report into

the loss of the Rabaul Queen in

Papua New Guinea in February

2012, for example, notes that the

local SAR coordinator was not yet

fully trained. He was hundreds of

miles away, and his communications

facilities were limited to telephones

and a handheld VHF radio.

There are a lot of things to do – but

we can begin to do them. Nothing is

gained by hand-wringing. The

problems are well-known and, one by

one, can be addressed. There are

things we can do to help improve

SAR capability, at all levels.

Much can be done, too, to prevent

such accidents happening in the first

place, or at least to mitigate their

effects. Meditating on the sinking of

the Skagit off Zanzibar in July 2012,

Len Roueche of our partner NGO,

Interferry, wrote:

“The report on the maritime disaster

of July 18 concluded that there were

447 passengers on board, not 290

as mentioned at the time by officials,

with cargo also way over the limit of

the approved carrying capacity.

“The ship went down claiming 81

confirmed lives, while another 212

went missing and were never

recovered from the sea. There were

154 passengers who survived the

sinking as a result of swift rescue

action by mostly private boats

rushing to the scene.

“This accident is one in a long line of

lake and ocean disasters suffered by

Tanzania, largely attributed to corrupt

practices when inspecting vessels

and issuing certificates of sea

worthiness and by lax enforcement of

loading limits for passengers and

cargo.”

The commission of inquiry into the

loss of the Skagit spent almost three

months fully investigating the

accident, interviewing survivors and

maritime officials and combing

through maintenance and operation-

al records of the company owning

and managing the ship.

That is excellent, and such inquiry

reports add great weight of evidence

to the campaign. More and more

people, from the Secretary-General

of the IMO down (see page 1), are

calling for action, and the IMRF is

playing its part.

Want to help? Lobby for improve-

ments in ferry safety for ‘The Other

90%’. Ask your Government to

support the IMO’s and Interferry’s

efforts in this respect (see page 4).

And you can help at the SAR end

too. If your organisation is not an

IMRF Member, suggest that they

join. You can help sponsor a

development project, too: every little

helps! For details, email:

secretariat@international-

maritime-rescue.org.



A casualty of the raging sea

It is with great sadness that we

report the closure of the Maritime

Rescue Institute (MRI), based at

Stonehaven, in Scotland. Not only

have the MRI and its predecessor

organisations served the SAR world

by providing training down the years,

and seafarers in distress by

providing a lifeboat on that rock-

bound coast, but it has also been a

Full Member and stalwart supporter

of the IMRF. Indeed, the IMRF’s

admin team has been housed by the

MRI, and the MRI’s Chief Executive,

Ann Laing, is also our membership

secretary, and a rock herself, part of

the IMRF’s very foundations.

The MRI were a subject of a

‘Member Focus’ article in LIFE LINE

only in February: Ann described then

the storms that did so much damage

to the MRI’s boats and buildings.

That is the ‘harbour’ at Stonehaven

in the pictures. We know what the

sea can do – and this time it has

done too much. Not

everything that happens

in SAR is about

success: we know that

too.

But some small good

has been salvaged from

the wreck for the wider

SAR community: please

see the article at right.

Asante sana!*

The Crisis Response Development

Foundation is a privately funded

Kenyan organisation that works with

communities and the local authorities

to improve safety and security.

CRDF design, implement and sustain

projects which offer a rapid, effective

and professional response to crisis

incidents such as vehicle, aircraft,

train and boat accidents, including

water rescue and recovery. In

addition to developing incident

response capabilities within

communities, the CRDF designs and

implements training programmes on

safety and security for communities

and schools.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people

die needlessly in Kenya each year as

a result of accidents and natural

calamities. CRDF’s experience has

shown that many more lives are

saved when the communities affected

are aware of what they can do and

how they can use their local expertise

and resources instead of waiting for

external assistance.

CRDF therefore focuses on utilising

expertise and resources available

locally as part of the overall

community capacity building process.

The IMRF has been helping with this,

providing funding toward CRDF's

community school swimming

programme. Children from remote

fishing villages along the Kenyan

coast have been shown how to be

safer near water, and have been

taking swimming lessons. Regular

updates on their progress are posted on

www.facebook.com/crdfafrica.

Some of the children benefitting from

this programme are shown below,

with their Thank You banner for the

funders.

If you would like to

know more, visit the

Facebook page – and

hit the ‘Like’ button! Or

you can read more at

www.crdfafrica.org.

* Thank you very

much!

And a silver lining

Over £25,000 has been raised

through a fundraising dinner in

Aberdeen, Scotland, to support the

work done by the IMRF.

The dinner had been planned in

support of IMRF Members the

Maritime Rescue Institute (MRI) –

but, as reported, left, the MRI has

been forced to close its doors after

devastating storm damage. With

planning already well advanced the

MRI generously recommended that

IMRF receive this year’s proceeds,

as the two organisations have been

so closely linked.

MRI Chairman Colin Braithwaite said

“Sponsors and table hosts were

happy to proceed so we have

used the event to celebrate

the outstanding service MRI

has provided to local and

international maritime SAR as

well as generating much

needed funds to support the

work of the IMRF”.

250 guests attended the

dinner and contributed to a

fundraising auction. Ann Laing, CEO

of MRI, reflected: “Our guests have

always been incredibly generous

supporting MRI so the evening has

been a chance to say a very big

thank you.

“We are devastated at having to

close the charity, but there is consol-

ation in being

able to make a

difference right to

the end with all

the proceeds

from the evening

being used within

the maritime SAR

sector”.

Bruce Reid, IMRF

CEO, added “The

MRI has been a member of the

IMRF for over 30 years and the

organisation is massively respected

internationally and will be missed.

“We will ensure the funds raised from

the event are used to continue

fulfilling our shared humanitarian

goal of preventing loss of life in the

worlds waters.”



News from Finland:

a new SAR (hover)craft, and a new face

at the helm

Captain Jori Nordström, Operations Director of the Finnish

Lifeboat Institution, writes to tell us of “dramatic changes, such

as moving the Institution’s HQ from southern Helsinki´s cozy

embassy area to the vibrant heart of the city’s business district.

“And, even though the ice cover has not yet left the Northern

Baltic or the inland lakes, we are introducing a totally new

vessel type to our fleet – the hovercraft to the rescue!

“Otherwise,” says Jori, “It’s business as usual and just waiting

for the snow to melt...!”

The hovercraft is 8.2m long, with a 3.4m beam, 12-person

capacity, and a cruising speed of 25-35 knots, depending on

the circumstances. Its development continues. The unit

obviously extends the Lifeboat Institution’s capabilities in the

frozen winter months – but there is no intention of replacing the

Institution’s 150-strong rescue vessel fleet! The hovercraft’s

likely work will be responding to falls through the ice, reports of

missing people, and ambulance work.

Jori also reports that the Institution’s highly respected long term

CEO and administrator, Kyösti Vesterinen, has retired. Kyösti is

pictured below, receiving the award of Honorary Membership of

the Institution; with (inset) his successor, Jari Piirainen. We

wish both our colleagues all the very best for the future.

One of our manikins is missing...

Do you use a floating dummy for SAR or man-

overboard training? Many IMRF Members do – a

buoyant manikin, the same size and weight as a

man, is an invaluable training aid; and obviously

safer to use than a spare member of the crew...

But what happens if your manikin floats away and

can’t be found? That’s quite an expensive loss – and

it can be embarrassing or even dangerous too, if it is

later spotted and a real rescue ensues.

‘My advice,’ says the RNLI’s Staff Officer Operations

(Training), Adrian Carey, ‘If you need a search

target, is to use a half-filled water container. If that’s

lost, it’s no big deal; and similar characteristics to a

real search target can be reasonably well simulated.

The manikin can then be reserved for recovery drills

alone.

‘We have used VHF transmitters attached to the

target to enable location by VHFDF, usually with

great success; but even they have been confounded

by local interference and lost. And their cost makes

it unreasonable for every lifeboat station to own one.

‘Some stations have their own answers – jerrycans

of water with whip masts attached and old lifejacket

lights and retro reflective tape on top to aid night

time location. I have even known stations purchase

their own GPS trackers to attach to a semi-

submerged object. They can then analyse the real

tidal rate and direction by downloading to a PC

when recovered. Modern trackers give pretty much

live data so iPhones have been used by lifeboat

crew to track suitably equipped search targets too.

‘Manikins should be well marked with owner and

contact information, of course. If found by a third

party they can be returned – and I usually find that

when we explain that in realistic training events

losses are just a part of proving the difficulty of the

job, it turns a potential embarrassment into a good

educational chat!’

The manikins shown in the picture above are from the

range of training aids produced by Ruth Lee Ltd – see

www.ruthlee.co.uk



LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE

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 [email protected].

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

KEGM-7 crew honoured

In our February edition we noted, with

great sadness, the loss on service of three

members of the crew of KEGM-7, a fast

rescue boat of the Turkish General

Directorate of Coastal Safety. A fourth

crew member survived.

IMRF Members BULSAR, the Bulgarian

lifeboat organisation, have awarded their

2012 award for ‘civic valour and selfless-

ness’ displayed by a foreign Black Sea SAR unit to the

KEGM-7’s crew, noting their heroism and self-sacrifice.

The award – a statuette and honorary charter – was

presented at a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly for

Black Sea Economic Cooperation, held in Istanbul in late

February.

GISIS

The International Maritime

Organization (IMO) has a

Global Integrated Shipping

Information System on its

website (gisis.imo.org). Many of the System’s modules are

available to the public.

The ‘Radiocommunications and Search

and Rescue’ module contains the Global

SAR Plan, with information provided by

IMO Member States on the availability of

SAR services such as Rescue Coordination Centres and

Telemedical Advice Services, together with maps showing

the world’s SAR Regions.

In a recent change of procedure, SAR service information

should now be updated by Member States direct, online.

(COMSAR.1/Circ.55 provides guidance.)

World Maritime Rescue Congress 2015

This is the view of the New Harbour at Bremerhaven,

where the Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung

Schiffbrüchiger – the German Maritime SAR Service – will

be hosting the IMRF’s next World Maritime Rescue

Congress, in 2015, in conjunction with the celebration of

their own 150th

anniversary.

2015 may seem a long way off – but you know how time

flies! Note Monday 1st

to Thursday 4th

June 2015 in your

diaries now.

In addition to the Congress itself – in which a wealth of

material of interest to SAR people will be presented and

discussed – a major SAR exhibition and a rally of SAR

units (helicopters as well as rescue craft) are being

planned. These events will be on 1-3 June; and, as usual,

the IMRF’s Quadrennial General Meeting will be held at

the Congress venue, beginning on the 3rd

and concluding

by lunchtime on the 4th

.

Save those dates: you want to be there!

LIFELINE April 2013 - English

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Transcript of LIFELINE April 2013 - English