International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue

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The International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (dt .: International Convention of 1979 on rescue is) that at a conference in Hamburg adopted SAR - Convention of 27 April 1979, which the rescue of people in distress irrespective of the accident by a rescue organization to make sure should. The SAR Convention is primarily aimed at coastal states with the request to enact regulations for cooperation between the sea rescue services and to provide resources for the search and rescue service . The convention has been in force since June 22, 1985.

background

According to the old seafaring tradition and as an expression of humanity , it is generally considered an unwritten customary international law to come to the aid of ships in need. This obligation is also found in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which mainly relates to ship safety . Up until the SAR agreement was passed, there was no international system for SAR operations in all sea areas. In some areas there were well-established organizations that could provide help quickly and efficiently, and in others there was nothing.

conditions

The technical requirements are contained in an appendix with five chapters. The acceding states have a responsibility to ensure that adequate SAR services are available in their coastal waters. The parties involved are recommended to enter into SAR agreements with neighboring countries in order to define the controlled SAR areas and to accelerate the mutual entry of rescue units from other contracting parties into their territorial waters. However, there is no obligation to conduct patrols.

The Convention lays down preparatory measures and describes the establishment of centers for the coordination of rescue operations (RCC Rescue Coordination Center ) and their sub-centers, including communication facilities. These centers must be staffed with trained staff around the clock and have a good command of English. The contracting parties must also ensure the closest practicable coordination between maritime and air services.

It also contains the working procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency or warning and during SAR surgery. This also includes the appointment of an On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) and his duties. Search and rescue operations should continue as much as possible until there is no reasonable hope of rescuing the survivors.

IMO search and rescue areas

After the adoption of the SAR agreement, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) divided the world's oceans into 13 search and rescue areas, in which the countries concerned each have separate search and rescue regions. The work was completed when the plans for the Indian Ocean were finalized in September 1998 at a conference in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Revision of the SAR Convention

The 1979 SAR Convention placed significant obligations on the parties that many coastal states did not accept. As a result, the Convention has not been ratified by as many countries as other treaties. The reason for the low number of assumptions and the slow implementation was seen in the SAR Convention itself. It was therefore agreed to revise the annex to the SAR Convention, which came into force in January 2000. It clarifies the responsibilities of governments and highlights the regional approach to coordinating SAR operations in the maritime and aviation sectors. Further additions to the notes were resolved in May 2004.

The appendix contains these five chapters:

  1. terms and definitions
  2. Organization and coordination
  3. Cooperation between states
  4. Operating procedures
  5. Ship reporting systems

IAMSAR manual

Simultaneously with the revision of the SAR Convention, the IMO and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) jointly developed the International Handbook for Search and Rescue in Aviation (IAMSAR). Organization and management, mission coordination and the necessary mobile facilities are described in three volumes.

See also

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  1. ↑ a b c d e International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR). In: imo.org. International Maritime Organization (IMO) , accessed August 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e [1] . International Maritime Organization (IMO) 1979.
  3. ↑ Brief information on international legal obligations for sea rescue Bundestag November 20, 2017