The Maritime Search and Rescue Council and The Nautical Institute are continuing their partnership to deliver the Maritime Search and Rescue Endorsement Scheme (MSARES), providing maritime professionals with a structured way to demonstrate specialist search and rescue competence.
Search and rescue operations at sea require specialist knowledge, practical skills and decision-making that extend beyond the general maritime training undertaken during a seafarer’s career. Recognising this need, the Maritime Search and Rescue Council and The Nautical Institute developed MSARES to provide a professional framework specifically focused on the skills and knowledge required to operate safely and effectively in a maritime SAR environment.
The scheme provides candidates with the opportunity to undertake practical tasks, develop specialist knowledge and undergo assessment against a defined professional standard. It is designed to complement, rather than replace, the wider qualifications and experience gained throughout a maritime career.
MSARES currently provides two professional pathways: Command Endorsement and Crew Endorsement, reflecting the different responsibilities and competencies required by those operating in SAR command and crew roles.
Recognising specialist SAR expertise
For maritime professionals who have developed significant search and rescue experience throughout their careers, the scheme provides a means of formally recognising specialist competence within the wider maritime profession.
Captain Bobby Ide was the first candidate to successfully complete the MSARES Command Endorsement following the launch of the pathway. With 44 years of seagoing experience, including extensive involvement in maritime search and rescue, Captain Ide brought significant operational experience to the assessment process.
Reflecting on the value of the endorsement, Captain Ide said:
“I feel extremely proud and somewhat humble considering the many professional and voluntary individuals I have come to know within the SAR field over my 44-year sea-going career thus far.
“I would highly recommend that serving Masters register their interest and apply to take the Command Endorsement scheme.
“Those who achieve the endorsement will be recognised by other, and perhaps all, SAR professional bodies, allowing individuals to progress within the SAR field and be able to provide advice to external bodies.”
Building professional capability across the SAR sector
The development of a recognised professional standard for specialist SAR operations is particularly relevant as maritime emergency response continues to involve increasingly complex operational environments and multi-agency coordination.
For organisations operating dedicated SAR vessels, the ability to demonstrate that personnel possess specialist knowledge and practical competence provides an additional mechanism for supporting professional development, maintaining standards and building operational capability.
The partnership between the Maritime Search and Rescue Council and The Nautical Institute brings together specialist SAR expertise and an established professional framework for maritime competence and certification. Together, the organisations are working to provide a consistent approach to recognising the specialist skills required by personnel working in maritime search and rescue.
The Command Endorsement is currently available to suitably experienced maritime professionals undertaking command responsibilities in a SAR environment. The Crew Endorsement pathway is also being developed to provide a corresponding route for personnel working in SAR crew roles.
The Maritime Search and Rescue Council believes that establishing clear professional pathways for both command and crew roles can contribute to the continued development of safe, effective and professionally recognised maritime search and rescue capability.
For further information about the Maritime Search and Rescue Endorsement Scheme and the available pathways, visit The Nautical Institute’s MSARES information page.
