Gothenburg, Sweden, 4-6 September 2018

Building on the success of the first IMRF Mass Rescue Operation Subject-Matter Expert (SME) course, held in June 2017, a second course will be held at Chalmers University, in Gothenburg, Sweden, in association with the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS), from Tuesday 4th – Thursday 6th September 2018.

Applications for this course are now being accepted.

The UK P&I Club has made a significant donation to the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) to support its work developing resources, training and building preparedness for maritime mass rescue operations.

The IMRF is the international non-governmental organisation which works to develop and improve maritime search and rescue (SAR) capability around the world, preventing loss of life in the world's waters. Mass rescue operations, are defined by the International Maritime Organization, as being beyond normal search and rescue (SAR) capability and therefore of vital interest to anyone with a role in SAR planning and response.

Part of the UK P&I Club funding will provide essential support for the IMRF online resource library which brings together as much mass rescue operations (MRO) guidance material as possible. The online library (www.imrfmro.org) is free to use and available to SAR professionals around the world, the funding will update the information available, enabling SAR services to better plan and prepare for MRO situations.

The IMRF launched its 2017 Activity Report at a supporter event on the 19th March 2019 in London, hosted by the IMRF Board of Trustees.

This was an opportunity for us to personally thank our supporters, who have made it possible for us to continue our vital work of preventing loss of life in the world’s waters.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 372,000 people drown every year. That means that, on average, one person drowns every 85 seconds, and more than 40 people around the world drown every hour. Many of these deaths could be prevented by improved maritime SAR services.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Sub-Committee on Safety of Navigation, Communications and SAR (NCSR) is the principal forum for the discussion of maritime SAR at the international, United Nations, level. It reports to IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee.

Much of NCSR’s work relates to navigational and communications issues not directly relevant to SAR.

On the other hand, much of the detailed work on SAR and emergency communications is done for both IMO and the International Civil Aviation Organization by a Joint Working Group.

This Group also acts as the editorial body for the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual. The Joint Working Group reports to IMO via NCSR.

IMRF’s policy on advocacy, as a “non-governmental organisation in consultative status” at the IMO, requires us to be represented at NCSR and Joint Working Group meetings.

In recent years the IMRF has contributed significantly to the Joint Working Group’s work, and hence to that of NCSR – and so to the improvement of maritime SAR at the highest level.

Some of the issues to be discussed at NCSR’s February 2018 session are as follows.