The Maritime Search and Rescue Council (SAR Council) has completed a capacity-building mission in the Union of the Comoros, supporting the development of local search and rescue capability through training, coordination and engagement with national and international partners.
Located in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique, the Comoros archipelago faces a range of maritime safety and search and rescue challenges. The SAR Council’s mission focused on strengthening local capability and supporting the development of effective, coordinated maritime emergency response arrangements.
During the mission, the Council worked closely with CNAEM Comores, supporting the organisation’s development towards its future role as the country’s national Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).
The Council also delivered first aid and maritime safety training to local fishermen and volunteers from the Comorian Red Crescent (Croissant Rouge Comorien). The training provided practical knowledge and skills intended to strengthen safety and emergency response capability among those operating within local coastal communities.
A key element of the mission was a multi-agency search and rescue coordination tabletop exercise, designed and facilitated by the SAR Council. Around eight agencies participated, providing an opportunity to examine inter-agency coordination, communication and decision-making during a simulated maritime emergency.
The exercise also provided an opportunity to identify areas for further development and to strengthen understanding between organisations with roles in the national search and rescue response.
Alongside operational training and exercises, the Council engaged with state authorities and international organisations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to better understand the wider maritime safety and migration-related challenges affecting the region and identify opportunities for future cooperation.
The mission forms part of the SAR Council’s wider commitment to supporting sustainable search and rescue capability internationally. By working alongside local authorities, emergency services, maritime communities and international partners, the Council aims to help develop practical capabilities that can be maintained and strengthened locally over the long term.
The Council’s work in Comoros also highlighted the importance of bringing together organisations with different areas of expertise and responsibility. Effective search and rescue depends not only on individual capability, but on the ability of agencies and communities to work together when lives are at risk.
The SAR Council will continue to engage with its partners in Comoros as the country develops its maritime search and rescue arrangements and works towards establishing its future national MRCC.
