Your vessel could be a crucial asset in serious, time-critical maritime emergencies such as man overboard incidents or medical emergencies like cardiac arrests. Currently, when the Coastguard requests assistance from nearby vessels, they often lack essential information about your vessel’s capabilities and crew competence. We invite you to help change that.
Captains have a legal duty under the SOLAS convention to assist those in distress at sea if safe to do so, and failure to do so can lead to legal consequences. This duty is also a long-standing moral obligation within the seafaring community, where saving lives is paramount. By declaring your vessel’s capabilities, you can better fulfil both your legal and moral responsibilities during maritime search and rescue operations, ensuring the most effective resource is sent to the incident.
Our initiative aims to significantly improve maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) operations by enabling vessel owners and operators to self-declare their equipment, training, and SAR-related competencies. This proactive approach will allow the Coastguard to make faster and better-informed decisions during emergencies, optimising the use of available resources.
The system is free to register with and free to access by Coastguards to improve access to SAR for all.
Vessel owners and operators will have the opportunity to self-declare their capabilities in key areas, which will then be made accessible to the Coastguard through a secure database linked to the vessel’s AIS system and integrated into the Coastguard’s live incident management software. This will include areas such as :
Each capability will be rated as Red, Amber, or Green, allowing for quick and clear identification of the most suitable vessels during time-critical SAR operations.
Please register your details below to commence the declaration process and to receive the online declaration forms for your vessels.
For more information or queries on the program, please contact us at council@maritimesar.org.
Maritime Search and Rescue Council
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