IMRF Awards About & News Categories Individual #WomenInSAR Team Innovation & Technology Lifetime Achievement People's Choice Award Finalists 2021 Captain Chen Jian Anna Bertrandsson Littke Krista Lynn Elvidge Commander Maritime Dr. Suzanna Razali Chan Lifeboat Station Scheveningen Coastguard Nelson NSRI JetRIB Team The LARUS Project Patrick van Eyssen Media Gallery 2021 Sponsors Past Awards Awards 2021 Winners 2021 Runner Ups Media Gallery 2021 News Articles 2021 Awards 2019 Winners 2019 Finalists 2019 Isobel Tugwell Captain SONG Yin Captain HUANG Zhibin Daisy Gallardo Marine Rescue Port Macquarie Coastguard New Zealand & Other Teams Floating Rescue Stretcher Use of remotely controlled assets in Maritime SAR Clay Evans Arthur Allen Media Gallery 2019 News Articles 2019 Awards 2018 Winners Finalists Media Gallery 2018 Sponsors 2018 News Articles Awards 2017 Winners Finalists Media Gallery 2017 News Articles Awards 2016 Winners Finalists Media Gallery 2016 News Articles Awards Story 2017: MAR-SimNET Project Innovation & Technology: For Innovation and Technology in Maritime SAR In order to prepared for, and be effective in emergency situations, organisations must learn to work together and SAR personnel need to gain as much experience as possible. This is best achieved through practice and realistic exercises. But, effective training opportunities structured around complex maritime incidents are very limited, mainly because of high costs, the potential risks to participants in live SAR exercises, and a limited number of participating SAR personnel. As a result, seagoing authorities all need more training and exercises. The joint R&D project ‘Maritime Simulators Network’ (MAR-SimNET; 2013-2017) aims to provide this training. The simulator offers a valuable opportunity to practice difficult navigational situations and communications, to manage bridge resources, while providing training in soft skills too. The simulator can be used to build experience with global maritime distress and safety systems (GMDSS) devices, and offers for the first time a chance to combine ship handling skills and GMDSS simulation. However, the MAR-SimNET Project viewed this as just the first step in creating a simulator for SAR purposes. Real SAR missions do not just involve ships; a real SAR mission also involves the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and the coastal radio stations. But before the MAR-SimNET Project, MRCC simulators had not yet been developed – thanks to this project, now they have. The last important players in SAR missions are helicopters, which provide quick transportation of rescue equipment and accident victims, or other assisting units either on-the-scene, or acting as a search unit. The aim of the MAR-SimNET project was to develop a SAR mission simulator that provided all the interorganisational training for all of the authorities and organisations who might be involved, from the bridge crews of different vessels to helicopter crews and MRCC personnel, whilst also delivering a simulated workplace for the operators of coastal counties and their public-safety response teams. By evaluating and collating all of the different stakeholder needs into an integrated, interlinked SAR simulator infrastructure, the project has been able to deliver comprehensive training for maritime disaster management and beyond. Visit the Media Gallery (new window) for more photos.