Our Vision

A world where loss of life on water can be prevented. Based on the horrific current levels of life loss in the world's waters (See Saving Lives) this is indeed an ambitious vision to strive for. The members organisations of the International Lifeboat Federation are fully aware of the vital role that they, the world's maritime rescue services, must play if this is to be achieved. With this very much in mind, the Federation has declared its purpose as - Promoting international co-operation to prevent loss of life on the world's waters by - Improving Awareness Enhancing Safety Developing Effective Search and Rescue

Promoting International Co-operation

The nature and scale of world life loss is such that no one organisation or no single organisation's strategy will provide the total solution. It will involve sustained and focused efforts of local water user communities and stakeholder groups, their governments, inter-governmental organisations, and other international bodies to make real and sustainable change. All will have to work together with carefully dovetailed plans, if effective and speedy resolution is to be achieved.

The International Lifeboat Federation is uniquely positioned to be a catalyst for such international co-operation and can help to establish properly integrated remedial programmes.

Improving awareness

Making all water users, governments, international organisations and the public in general, aware of the nature of the world's life loss problems on its waters and soliciting their support is a an essential step in bringing about effective and sustainable reduction in loss of life. For many years, IMRF members have given generously of their own very limited resources and have achieved a proud record of success in tackling this world scale life-loss problem. As the sheer scale of the global problem now becomes more apparent, it is now increasingly obvious that significant external funding and assistance will be necessary. It was primarily for this reason that International Lifeboat Federation transformed itself into an international charitable organisation, The International Maritime Rescue Federation so that it could openly promote international co-operation and seek international assistance to assist its members to achieve this common noble humanitarian goal.

Enhancing Safety

Every day IMRF's members come in contact with persons in trouble on the seas. They realise that many of these life threatening incidents could be prevented. IMRF will use harness the combined knowledge its member organisations to identify typical root causes of maritime tragedy and will work with all water user sectors, stakeholder groups, governments, international and inter-governmental organisations to establish well founded programmes to save lives by preventing life threatening incidents occurring at sea in the first instance.

Developing Effective Search and Rescue

The seas are a hostile environment and despite the best of preparations of even the most careful and experienced seafarers, things can go wrong and essential life-saving assistance can be urgently required. IMRF seeks to ensuring that effective rescue services are universally available to any person who gets into difficulties on or near the water, by -

Promoting Co-operative Development -

• Promoting efficient and development of global search and rescue capability through open exchange of experiences, ideas, methods and technologies, and then improving on these through cost effective collaborative development programmes.


• Ensuring that all member rescue organisations (both established and new members) have access to the most up to date information and rescue technology.

Providing Developmental Assistance -

• Promoting the establishment of effective Search and Rescue organisations in areas where no services exist and where lives are being lost.


• Providing essential assistance to developing Search and Rescue organisations.

Working Together - for together we are stronger