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LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE
The Newsletter of the International Maritime Rescue Federation
(IMRF)
News Experience Ideas Information Development
In this issue:
the IMRFs mass rescue conference, Gothenburg II, and other mass
rescue matters IMRF initiatives on crew exchange, education, and
our Members Assisting Members scheme
communication developments, and cold water survival
news from Estonia, Liberia and Brazil
and more!
JJuunnee
22001122
December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December
2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010
December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December
2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010 December 2010
The Titanic Effect In 1974 the ecologist Kenneth Watt published
a book he called The Titanic Effect: Planning for the
Unthinkable.
Watt was not writing about maritime disasters in particular, but
part of his more general thesis was that people only believe in,
and therefore can only act upon, the possibility of future disaster
to the extent that they think they can handle it. If we think its
too difficult, we dont plan.
Gerald Weinberg labelled a related idea the Titanic Effect in
The Secrets of Consulting (1986). Believing that disaster itself is
impossible may actually result in unthinkable disaster. If your
model says disaster is extremely unlikely, the weakest link may
actually be your model...
In general, wrote Watt, It is worth taking action in advance to
deal with disasters. The reason is that the costs of doing so are
typically inconsequential as measured against the losses that would
ensue if no such action were taken - and he drew the following
generalisation from his studies:
The magnitude of disasters decreases to the extent that people
believe that they are possible, and plan to prevent them, or to
minimise their effects.
So: lets get back to the sea; and lets plan for unthinkable
disasters...
IMRF mass rescue operations conference
Special Edition
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LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE JJuunnee 22001122
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Editorial
Welcome to the June edition of your newsletter - a special
edition, published to coincide with Gothenburg II, the second in
the IMRFs conference series on mass rescue operations at sea.
If you are attending the conference in Gothenburg and this is
the first time you have read LIFE LINE, welcome aboard!
LIFE LINE is available to everyone, free of charge,
and you can find previous editions on our website -
www.international-maritime-rescue.org. You can
also sign up on the website to receive email alerts each time a
new edition is published, with links to the site. Dont miss out,
and please do contribute to our discussions if you can.
If you are not attending the Gothenburg conference, I hope you
will find in this newsletter interesting information and opinion on
the mass rescue subject. We are sorry, of course, that you could
not join us in Sweden - but we will be reporting the conference in
subsequent editions (our next is due in August), and we hope that
you will find the results interesting too! And the conference will
not be the end of the IMRFs mass rescue project - far from it.
There will be a great deal of work still to do, and we hope that
you will feel able to assist with it.
One thing more on mass rescue. I wonder if there is anyone in
SAR who feels that this particular IMRF project is not relevant to
him or her? Well: I hope not. Whatever your maritime SAR role, it
is possible that you will one day find yourself involved in just
such an operation - unlikely, perhaps; but possible. Recognising
that simple fact - that one day it might happen to you - is a long
step on the road to being prepared. Being prepared isnt absolutely
everything, perhaps, but it certainly helps!
But there is a great deal more than mass rescue in this edition
of LIFE LINE. For example, theres the second instalment of our
three-part series on the latest guidance on cold water survival.
You can find the first instalment in our April edition (available
on the website), and the final part will be out in August.
On page 10 you will find an article about a new initiative
getting under way in our European Region on crew exchange - a fine
example of IMRF Members learning from each others experience at the
sharp end. This initiative relates closely to our Members Assisting
Members scheme - see page 9.
Another new IMRF initiative just beginning looks at the
lifesaving problem from a different sort of sharp end. Lifesaving
when someone is in trouble is what we do - but we can also help
people to save themselves, by enabling them to recognise water
risks and avoid them, and to improve their chances of survival
should an accident happen anyway. See page11.
Enjoy the read!
Dave Jardine-Smith
[email protected]
Contents
The Titanic effect ................................. 1
Editorial ................................. 2
Dates for the Diary ................................. 2
Mass rescue conference .................... 3
SAR Matters ................................. 4
Cold water survival (part 2) .................... 5
News from Estonia ................................. 6
Changing communications .................... 7
Mass rescue - past & present .................... 8
Capabilities and needs .................... 9
Lifeboat for sale .................... 9
Radios broadcast ................................. 9
SEND a message ................................. 10
Exchange your crew! ................................. 10
Saving lives through education ...... 11
News from Liberia ................................ 12
News from Brazil ................................ 12
Titanic: the last word? ................................ 12
Send us your news & pictures ...... 12
Dates for the Diary
IMRF Mass Rescue Conference 3-5 June 2012
The second in IMRFs conference series on mass rescue at sea
continues work begun in Gothenburg in June 2010 and progressed at
the World Maritime Rescue Congress in Shanghai. There are further
details in this issue of LIFE LINE, and we will report the
conference results in future editions.
iSAR 2012 3-5 July 2012
To be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For details, see:
www.globalstar.com.my
RESCUE 2012 - Iceland 19-21 October 2012
Arranged by IMRF Members ICE-SAR, and to be held in Reykjavik,
Iceland. For details, see: www.icesar.com/rescue
If you have a SAR event of international interest which you
would like to see listed here, please send the details to:
[email protected]
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LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE JJuunnee 22001122
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Gothenburg II - the second in the IMRF mass rescue conference
series
To those readers who are attending the second in our conference
series; welcome!
To those of you who could not, we are sorry to have missed you.
However; we will make sure that you do not miss out on the results,
which will be reported in future editions of LIFE LINE.
Here, we introduce the conference, and some of its themes.
First, a very big thank you to our conference hosts, IMRF
Members the Swedish Sea Rescue Society.
Their superbly-located headquarters by the seaside at Lngedrag
provides a splendid setting for the second in IMRFs Gothenburg
series of conferences on mass rescue operations.
Readers interested in the content and outcomes of the first
conference in the series, held in June 2010, may find reports in
the October & December 2010 editions of LIFE LINE, to be found
on our website, www.international -mari t ime-rescue.org. IMRF
Members may
obtain more information by logging in to the Library on the
website.
The 2010 conference was based on a series of presentations from
experts. Now, however, we are moving on from the necessary initial
review of the sheer scale of the problem to seeing what we can do
to address that problem - or aspects of it, at least.
This second conference has therefore been designed principally
to enable discussion. It will focus on on-scene and shoreside
issues, coordinat ion, communicat ions, planning, and training
needs.
There will be presentations on various aspects of this most
challenging of subjects; but the main parts of the event will be
based around two scenarios, one on each of the main conference
days.
Delegates will be divided into working groups and will be asked
to discuss the scenarios with the overall conference aims in
mind:
what improvements can be made to our mass rescue planning and
response; and
how can the IMRF help to achieve this?
With the greatest respect to all those who were victims of the
Costa Concordia accident earlier this year, and to all those who
responded to it, this is not a conference about that
particular incident. Apart from anything else, it would be
premature to try to consider that case in any deta i l before the
of f ic ia l investigations are complete.
This conference is more general. We will be looking at some less
well-reported accidents involving large numbers of people on sh
ips. We will also briefly consider other
mass rescues, from ditched aircraft, offshore industry
emergencies, and other disasters, natural or man-made. Although
sometimes there will be complicating factors - as with the rescue
of illegal migrants at sea, for example - the main aim of this
conference is to determine how we can improve our response to any
mass rescue situation.
We are delighted to have, as our two keynote speakers , Jan
Mosander and Mary Landry. In one sense, Mr Mosander and Ms Landry
represent opposite ends of a spectrum. Ms Landry is Director of Inc
ident Management and Response Policy with the United States Coast
Guard - who have done a great deal of work on mass rescue planning
in recent years. Mr Mosander, on the other hand, has directly
experienced a mass rescue operation: he and his partner were
passengers aboard Costa Concordia when she came to grief on Giglio
in January. We will thus hear again from those sometimes overlooked
- the survivors - as we did so powerfully in 2010.
Among other speakers, we will hear, too, from Udo Fox, IMRF
Trustee and Executive Director of the German Maritime SAR Service;
from John Dalziel, on behalf of Interferry, who are doing much good
work on domestic ferry safety (see www.interferry.com); and from
former ferry master Trevor Bailey (www.seatagsafety.com).
The most important speakers at this conference, though, will be
the delegates themselves! We look forward to hearing from them, and
reporting their conclusions.
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SAR Matters This is a discussion column intended to provide a
forum for LIFE LINE readers worldwide to contribute to debate on
any relevant SAR issue.
Please see previous editions of LIFE LINE - available on the
website, www.international-maritime-rescue.org -
for earlier discussions. Comment and/or new items for discussion
should be emailed to [email protected].
In this edition, with mass rescue very much in mind, Fredrik
Falkman of the Swedish Sea Rescue Society reflects on the FIRST
project, giving ships of opportunity the means to help.
Passenger ship safety can be described as a chain of ambitions
beginning with accident prevention, continuing in case of an
accident with ship survivability and safe return to port. If none
of these suffice, the next stage will be evacuation, followed by
rescue to a place of safety. The first links of this chain have
been subject to plenty of debate, development and international
regulations, but the last link, mass rescue, has had astonishingly
little attention.
In fortunate cases an evacuation can be orderly and will take
place close to a harbour and in benign weather conditions. Costa
Concordia is a case in point. She grounded only 500 metres from
Giglio Porto. Her evacuation and the subsequent rescue of the vast
majority of her passengers and crew is arguably one of the largest
and most successful in history. But what if the accident had
happened along a less hospitable coastline? Or a few hours further
out at sea?
In the offshore oil and gas industry, accident planning includes
rescue to a place of safety. How can it be that this is not the
case in the passenger shipping industry? Could it be that,
historically, ship accidents have gone awry in the earlier phases
of the chain; that there havent been many successful evacuations
where many people needed to be rescued? Or that the scale,
complexity and unpredictability of the problem have been too
daunting for the world to take on? The IMO defines a mass rescue
operation as being characterized by the need for immediate response
to large numbers of persons in distress such that the capabilities
normally available to the SAR authorities are inadequate. Could it
be that defining the problem in this way, as basically unsolvable,
also has deterred any attempts to do anything about it?
Whatever the reasons, it is widely agreed, if not publicly
known, that there is a global lack of ability to handle mass rescue
at sea. The IMRF expressed this in its first conclusion from its
Mass Rescue Conference in 2010: Recovery of people from survival
craft or from the water remains a problem (especially in bad
weather) that must be resolved.
The FIRST Project, which is the mass rescue initiative of the
Swedish Sea Rescue Society, proposes a solution to the mass
recovery problem which promises to be vastly more efficient than
any existing system. Its based on the fact that wherever a ship
accident occurs, there are likely to be other ships around. These
vessels of
opportunity are likely to be first on scene - but the crass
reality is that, in a mass rescue situation and with the equipment
that current (and planned) regulations require, their opportunity
may be only to witness a disaster rather than to give the help that
they have the inherent capacity for. The driving idea behind the
FIRST Project is that if passenger ships were to carry liftable
liferafts and ships in general were to be capable of lifting them,
vessels of opportunity could be unrivalled resources in the mass
rescue chain.
To test the viability of this idea, the FIRST Project has
conducted a series of sea trials with the ropax ferry Stena
Jutlandica. We have tried different aspects of
lifting aboard liferafts of up to 39 person capacity, mostly in
3m waves and force 7-9 winds. The ferry was equipped with a crane
to lift the rafts, and a small jet- propelled rescue boat and a
drive-through cradle. This setup, along with the ferrys
manoeuvrability, has proven to be both efficient and completely
undramatic to use.
In our latest test, conducted in moderate 1.5m waves and 14 m/s
winds, it took seven minutes from the rescue boat launch order
until the 39 person raft was landed onto Jutlandicas deck. At this
rate, with 39 people per raft, more than 300 people would be
rescued per hour. If the launch time for the rescue boat is cut out
and a group of rafts were kept together, we believe that a four
minute cycle time would be realistic, resulting in a rescue rate of
nearly 600 people per hour. This number should be compared with the
now abandoned IMO ambition to require a 10 person per hour recovery
rate.
Our next major goal is to install the system on a pair of ships
sailing on the same route, which could thus help each other out in
case of an emergency. We are currently looking for candidates and
would be happy to hear from any interested shipowners!
Communicating and promoting the project is an increasing part of
our work. This April, for example, the project was presented by
Interferry at the European Commission's Passenger Ship Safety
Stakeholder Conference in Brussels. And, following the Costa
Concordia accident, IMO Secretary-General Koji
Sekimizu has added Passenger Ship Safety to the IMOs agenda. We
naturally took this as a call directly addressed at us, and now
hope to submit a paper together with the Swedish Transport
Administration to IMOs Maritime Safety Committee in November.
We believe that the serious problem of mass rescue has a
realistic, straightforward and cost-effective solution. We will
continue our mission of convincing the world that adequate global
mass rescue is needed and possible. Please follow us at
www.first-rescue.org or on Twitter @firstrsq.
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LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE JJuunnee 22001122
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survival craft, a marine escape system or other means of
dry-shod embarkation are not available use over-side ladders if you
can, or lower yourself slowly, by means of a rope or fire hose, for
example.
If jumping into the water is unavoidable, you should try to keep
your elbows to your side and cover your nose and mouth with one
hand while holding the wrist or elbow firmly with the other hand.
Just before you jump look down to ensure the area beneath is clear
of obstruction, and then jump with eyes fixed on the horizon to
ensure you stay in a vertical position as you fall. Avoid jumping
onto a liferaft canopy (you may injure yourself or people inside)
and avoid jumping into the water astern of a liferaft still secured
to the ship, in case the ship has some remaining headway.
You should try to enter survival craft dry. But this may not be
possible, and the craft is unlikely to be dry itself. You can still
cool to dangerous levels - especially if wet to begin with, partly
because of the evaporation of water in your clothing. Even if
wearing an immersion suit, or a so-called dry suit, you may still
be wet. But stay calm: there are things you can do to improve your
situation.
In survival craft without covers, try to give yourself a
waterproof and windproof covering - plastic sheeting or bags, for
example, if suitable clothing is not available.
Enclosed survival craft give you better protection from the
elements, but may still become wet inside. Having checked that
there are no other survivors able to reach the raft, close the
covers as soon as you can, before your hands get too cold.
Try to avoid sitting in water: sit on your lifejacket if there
is nothing else available.
Squeeze as much water as you can out of sodden clothing before
replacing it, to reduce body heat loss through evaporation.
Huddling close to the other occupants of the survival craft will
also conserve body heat - but ensure craft stability is not
compromised.
Follow your survival craft training (water and food rationing,
etc).
Keep a positive attitude of mind about your survival and rescue:
your will to live does make a difference! While you wait Stay warm;
stay alive should be your motto.
(continued on page 6)
Cold Water Survival
This is the second in a series of three articles: please see our
April and August 2012 editions for the other two.
In April we noted that the IMO is to publish revised guidance on
cold water survival, based on the work of a group of experts
coordinated by the IMRF, and we gave readers that groups
explanation of cold water hazards and their effects. It is a sad
fact that people continue to die at sea because they lack this
knowledge.
In this edition we move on to consider what to do prior to
abandoning ship and during the survival phase, whether in survival
craft or in the water. In August we will report on the guidance
given for the rescue phase and on treatment of people recovered,
including the treatment of the apparently dead. And in a future
edition of LIFE LINE we will consider the implications which the
latest research into cold water survival has for search times.
Readers in warm latitudes should note that cold water can, the
experts tell us, mean water as warm as 25C (77F). Long periods of
immersion in water as high as this temperature can still result in
a fall in deep body temperature. It follows that most of the planet
is covered in cold water. Now: please read on!
The advice to seafarers obliged to abandon ship is, first, to
avoid abandoning for as long as safely possible: the ship is the
best survival craft.
When abandonment becomes necessary, here are
some things to remember:
Ensure distress alerts have been sent. If you have emergency
location beacons - including personal beacons - switch them on, and
leave them on.
If possible keep the emergency location beacon with you. Rescue
units are most likely to find the emergency location beacon
first.
Put on as many layers of warm clothing as possible, including
your feet. Make sure to cover your head, neck, and hands. The outer
layer should be as watertight as possible. Fasten clothing to
improve insulation and to minimise cold water flushing in and out
beneath the clothing.
If an immersion suit is available put it on over the warm
clothing.
Put on a suitable lifejacket and secure it correctly. If in cold
water you will quickly lose full use of your fingers. If the
lifejacket is fitted with retaining straps, make sure that they are
pulled tight. They will hold the lifejacket in the right position,
increasing buoyancy - you may not be able to tighten them once in
the water. If the lifejacket is of the automatic inflation type,
inflate it manually after leaving the interior of the ship but
before entering the water.
If time permits drink a lot before leaving the ship: warm sweet
drinks are best - but no alcohol: it can reduce the chances of
survival in cold water. Take extra water with you if possible.
Before leaving the ship, or immediately after boarding the
survival craft, take anti-seasickness medicine.
Avoid entering the water at all if possible. If you must go into
the water, avoid jumping in. If davit-launched
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page 6
Cold Water Survival
(continued from page 5)
Because of the greater body heat loss in water, you are always
better off out of the water than in it - despite how this may feel
at first - and you are better off partially out of the water if you
cannot get out of it entirely.
After the initial responses have passed and you have regained
control of your breathing, you should:
Orientate yourself and try to locate the ship, survival craft,
other survivors, or other floating objects. If you were unable to
prepare yourself before entering the water, button up clothing now.
In cold water you may experience violent and distressing shivering
and numbness. These are natural body responses that are not
dangerous. But you need to take action as quickly as possible
before you lose full use of your hands.
Do not attempt to swim unless it is to reach a fellow survivor
or a nearby shore, craft, or other floating object onto which you
can hold or climb. Staying calm and still conserves heat.
If swimming, swim on your back, using only your legs if
possible. The arms are critical to heat loss. Not using your arms
to swim means that you can keep them folded over your torso to
assist in insulation.
Swim downwind of a floating object if you are trying to reach
it, rather than straight towards it. The wind will bring it in your
direction. Once upwind of a liferaft, for example, you are unlikely
to be able to reach it. Keep checking the objects location and your
progress towards it. If you decide that you cannot reach it, stop
swimming, stay calm and stay still.
The body position you assume in the water is very important in
conserving heat. Try to float as still as possible, with your legs
together, elbows close to your side, and arms folded across your
chest. This position - which may only be fully achievable if you
are wearing a lifejacket or dry suit - minimizes the exposure of
the body surface to the cold water.
If the lifejacket is fitted with a spray hood, put it on. The
hood protects the airways against spray.
The floating body tends to turn towards on-coming waves, with
the legs acting like a sea anchor. If you have to, paddle gently to
maintain a back-to-wave position. Although this may increase heat
loss, you need to protect your airway from wave splash.
Link up with other survivors if you can: it helps location and
rescue.
Keep a positive attitude of mind about your survival and rescue.
This will extend your survival time. Your will to live does make a
difference!
To be continued: see LIFE LINE August 2012
News from Estonia
Ene Kalmus, Chair of the Estonian Voluntary Maritime Rescue
Organisation, writes:
Estonian Voluntary Maritime Rescue held its annual general
meeting, together with an international conference dedicated to the
100
th anniversary of the
sinking of Titanic, in Tallinn on 14 April. The participants
commemorated those who have lost their lives in the worlds
waters.
Amongst the guests were representatives of the Finnish Lifeboat
Institution and the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue.
They emphasised the need for cooperation between maritime rescuers
from different countries, and the important work done by the IMRF
in organising cooperation between voluntary and state structures in
many countries and in creating joint working groups to solve many
important problems in maritime rescue. Shared statistical analysis,
scientific research, and innovative and technical solutions are
vital. Efforts to find the best experience, developing training
systems according to the IMRF standards, and practical voluntary
maritime rescue training events are equally essential.
Volunteers from Estonia, Finland & Iceland meet in
Tallinn
The Operational Manager of the Finnish Lifeboat Institution,
Jori Nordstrm, gave a presentation introducing the 115 year-old
voluntary maritime rescue organisation - the states SAR system and
the role of volunteers, its rescue equipment development and its
training centre on Bogaskr. Current strategic issues in Finland are
the development of an information system and a new training system,
bringing in new volunteers, and training new instructors.
Pall Asgeirsson and Sigurdur Vidarsson introduced the Icelandic
SAR system, where volunteers cover all rescue operations and the
state has a coordinating and managing role. At present there are 95
rescue teams, functioning in a cooperative network and active in
accident prevention. Multi-level and multi-lateral cooperation have
helped to develop Icelandic SAR - which is the most popular brand
in Iceland.
Estonian Voluntary Maritime Rescue, with just two years
cooperation experience, is still a baby - but growing! Ten
independent voluntary organisations, with 150 members in all,
participated in 46 rescue and assistance missions in 2011, and
organised 32 different prevention events.
All agreed that intensive Nordic and Baltic cooperation would
bring new organisations more rapidly to the international level of
SAR competency desired.
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page 7
Changing communications
Peter Blackhurst, Head of Safety Services at IMRF Member
Inmarsat Maritime, writes:
The night of the 14th April 1912 was certainly one that is
remembered for a multitude of reasons, not least that the
unsinkable Titanic foundered after striking an iceberg with
subsequent massive loss of life. The night of the 13
th January 2012 will probably not be remembered quite
so well in 100 years. For many, even now, it may not be the
first thought that this was the night the Costa Concordia struck
rocks and subsequently sank. Thankfully the loss of life was less,
but it does focus our minds on how we manage major disasters at
sea, especially where mass rescue is concerned.
However, one point about the loss of Titanic not always
recognised by the general public, or even by many in the marine
industry, is the change in legislation that came about
subsequently. The disaster led to the publication of SOLAS, and
many new requirements relating to radio communications. These
included the introduction of carriage requirements and standardised
radio watchkeeping hours, distress frequencies and message
priorities (distress, urgency and safety), and silence periods were
introduced for distress traffic.
So what do Titanic and Costa Concordia have in common? Many
instances could be quoted - but it is striking that both carried
the latest in technology, for their time, especially where
communications are concerned.
The advancement of technology after the demise of Titanic was
immense, but up to 1999 there was still a requirement for radio
officers to keep watch and, although wireless telegraphy (WT -
Morse Code) had declined and satellite communication was in its
ascendency, High Frequency (HF) voice and telex were still used,
radio watchkeeping was still limited to the radio officer, and a
500 kHz WT auto-alarm was still required. Then, on the 1
st February 1999, the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) was fully
implemented, after a seven year wait since it was first introduced
in 1992.
Watchkeeping moved into a completely new era. Now, whenever the
ship is at sea, the distress and safety channels are continuously
monitored by the equipment and if an urgent message is received an
alarm attracts the officer of the watchs attention. If the vessel
gets into trouble herself, the simple activation of a distress
button for 5 seconds will ensure that an alert will be sent to a
rescue coordination centre (RCC) and other vessels.
But this is really not even half of the story. In an era in
which mobile phones have gone from being the size of a house brick
to the devices we currently use, with touch screens and apps that
can do the most amazing things, maritime communications have really
not evolved in line with technology.
However, things are going to change. The International Maritime
Organization is now reviewing the GMDSS; and e-Navigation [a
concept designed under the IMOs auspices to increase safety and
security through better organization of data on ships and on shore,
and better data exchange and communication between the two] is
bringing in new thinking and technology.
So what can we expect as far as communications are concerned?
Better use of spectrum is clearly high on the agenda with more
wireless requirements, enhanced connectivity and greater
throughput. There will also be a big drive for digitisation,
channel sharing and higher bandwidth. But there will also be the
need to ensure that existing systems, especially safety-related
ones, remain operable and that the needs of developing countries
are still considered as these changes march on.
Where do we see most change? Less regulated and more flexible
general communications will undoubtedly set the pace. Internet
Protocol (IP) networking connectivity and enhanced speed of data
exchange through improved satellite capabilities have brought about
massive changes over recent years. On-demand speeds of up to 432
kb/s on an IP connection and dedicated pipes for video streaming
are now commonplace. Coupled with crystal-clear voice connections,
these have bought the connectivity you would expect at home to
shipboard operations.
Inmarsat has used these reliable connections to provide a new
voice distress service. This service matches the existing
requirements for satellite distress calling as laid down by the
IMO, with innovations including end-to-end test capability, full
network monitoring whilst the distress is in progress, and email
notification to the RCC advising callers details, including name,
terminal ID and vessel position. Due to the new network
capabilities, an additional shore-to-ship service has been
introduced for registered RCCs, enabling them to make distress
calls with full priority and pre-emption free of charge.
At the time of writing, one major manufacturer is providing a
reasonably-costed upgrade to their Fleet-Broadband terminals and it
is anticipated that other manufacturers will follow suit. Other
enhancements will soon provide users with data distress alerting,
receipt of maritime safety information, and other services that are
only available from Sat C at the moment.
We are at a point where changes can be made to enhance maritime
safety without their having to be triggered by a maritime accident.
Communications systems can be brought into line with the latest
technology whilst still embracing the GMDSS systems that have saved
numerous lives already.
Titanic triggered huge changes to enhance seafarers safety.
Costa Concordia highlighted how an accident at sea still has a
massive potential for loss of life. High quality, reliable
communications are still essential.
Lets not wait until disaster strikes before we bring change
about.
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LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE JJuunnee 22001122
page 8
Mass rescue - past, and present
This is Captain Arthur Henry Rostron, who, in April 1911, was
the 42-year-old Master of the RMS Carpathia. He should be counted
among the heroes of the Titanic disaster, of which we have heard so
much during this centenary year.
Carpathia, of course, was the ship which picked up Titanics
survivors - the vessel of opportunity, as we say today, which
conducted the SAR operation. Her actions are sometimes overlooked
or taken for granted by those commemorating the famous disaster.
But they should not be. They are certainly of special interest to
the IMRF as regards our mass rescue operations project.
Why? What relevance does this aspect of that tragic story still
have, one hundred years on?
Well, the simple answer is that Capt Rostron and his crew
prepared for and performed the rescue brilliantly. It was something
of a masterpiece of planning. And careful planning - as a concept -
does not date.
Walter Lord, in his classic account of the Titanic disaster, A
Night to Remember (1956), begins by
recounting the speed at which Rostron reacted to the news his
radio operators brought him in the very early hours of 15 April
1912, immediately turning his ship toward the Titanics distress
position. Lord also tells how Rostron and his ships engineers
managed to work Carpathia up from her customary 14
knots to (for her) an astonishing 17, the off-duty stokers
joining their colleagues in pouring coal into the boilers, and the
engineers shutting
and we have moved away from pouring oil on troubled waters.
Medical experts would probably not approve of some of those
restoratives and stimulants; and the attempt to keep what was
happening from Carpathias own passengers did not really work. News
spread as news will - and many would later play their own part in
tending the rescued.
But it is the sheer completeness of the planning that is so
impressive - especially when it is remembered that Rostron, like
just about everyone else involved, believed that he would find
Titanic still
afloat when he arrived.
What can we learn from this? Speed of reaction is one point:
acting quickly on information that may at first seem barely
credible.
Carefu l l y p lanned and comprehensive preparation is another.
Capt Rostron was able to imagine clearly the range of challenges
which he and his crew might have to face (right down to recovering
the Royal Mails, if that had been possible). That preparat ion paid
of f when Carpathia arrived on scene.
We should also note that the need for ships of opportunity in
mass rescue operations (and their ability to help, including the
ability to recover people from survival craft or from the water)
remains as clear now as it was a century ago.
But it is the planning that is the main point here. Much of it
can be done before the accident even occurs - and it is vital to
successful response.
down the ships domestic hot water and heating so as to use every
available scrap of steam to drive the Cunarder northwards.
Lord goes on: Next, Rostron sent for First Officer Dean. He told
him to knock off all routine work, organize the ship for rescue
operations. Specifically, prepare and swing out all boats ... rig
electric clusters [lights] along the ships side ... open all
gangway doors ... hook block and tackles in each gangway ... rig
chair slings for the sick and injured, canvas and bags for hauling
up children at every gangway ... drop pilot ladders and side
ladders at gangways and along the sides ... rig cargo nets to help
people up ... prepare derricks to hoist mail and luggage aboard ...
and have oil handy to pour down the lavatories on both sides of the
ship, in case the sea grew rough.
Then he called the ships surgeon, Dr McGhee: collect all the
restoratives and stimulants on the ship ... set up first-aid
stations in each dining-saloon ... put the Hungarian doctor in
charge of third class ... the Italian doctor in second, McGhee
himself in first.
Now it was Purser Browns turn: see that the chief steward, the
assistant purser and himself each covered a different gangway -
receive the Titanics passengers ... get their names ... channel
them to the proper dining-saloon for medical check.
Finally, another barrage of orders for chief steward Harry
Hughes: call out every man ... prepare coffee for all hands ...
have soup, coffee, tea, brandy and whisky ready for survivors ...
pile blankets at every gangway ... convert smoking-room, lounge and
library into dormitories for the rescued ... group all the
Carpathias steerage passengers together, use the space saved for
the Titanics steerage.
As he gave his orders, Rostron urged them all to keep quiet. The
job ahead was tough enough without having the Carpathias passengers
underfoot...
One hundred years later, we find the careful class division of
survivors odd
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page 9
Capabilities & Needs
The IMRFs Members Ass is t ing Members mutual aid scheme is now
up and running, and all IMRF Member organisations have been asked
to consider taking part in it.
The scheme is designed to facilitate the sharing of resources
and expertise. Such mutual aid is, of course, a fundamental aim of
the IMRF: the idea underlying this scheme is not new. Members
Assisting Members simply provides a
means of communicating capabilities and needs among the IMRF
membership.
The first stage of this process is an audit of our Members,
asking them to consider what their own organisations needs are; and
what help they may be able to provide to others.
For example, one Member might need second-hand equipment.
Another may be able to provide it. Economies of scale can be
achieved by combined ordering. Assistance with training, or safety
campaigns, or fundraising initiatives can be asked for and
provided. There are many ways in which those in the maritime SAR
world can help each other - to the benefit of everyone at risk in
the worlds waters.
The results of our audit will be published on the IMRF website,
www.international-maritime-rescue.org. As matches between offers
and requests are identified, the IMRF Secretariat will act as
broker, bringing the appropriate Members together. Thereafter the
transaction will be between the Members themselves.
If you are interested in the Members Assisting Members scheme,
please contact the IMRF Secretariat at
[email protected].
Members Assisting Members is about specific, usually bilateral,
assistance projects. But you can also help your SAR colleagues
around the world by sharing your news, your projects, your events,
your ideas, and your lessons learned. The value of sharing
information and experience like this can be immense - and sharing
is what the IMRF is all about!
The IMRF offers two more ways to do this: our website and, of
course, this newsletter. Please send your contributions to
[email protected].
Lifeboat for Sale
In the spirit of the IMRFs Members Assisting Members initiative
(see this page), we are very happy to include in this edition an
advertisement of a former RNLI Lifeboat for sale.
The RNLI have generously announced a substantial discount in the
price for IMRF Members.
The vessel is a Tyne Class All-Weather Lifeboat: length 47ft
(14.3m); beam 14ft (4.48m); displacement 27 tons; speed 18 knots;
and with a range of 240 nautical miles. She is designed to carry a
crew of six.
The Tyne Class was primarily designed as a slipway-launched
Lifeboat: a launch method which requires the propellers to be
protected. As a result the class is also suitable to lie afloat at
stations where propeller protection is required by local
conditions.
The buyer will be asked to arrange collection from the RNLIs
headquarters, at Poole in Dorset, England.
For further information - including guidance on shipping -
and/or to arrange a purchase, please email the RNLIs Adrian Frogley
at a f r o g l e y @ r n l i . o r g . u k ; o r telephone Adrian
on +44 (0)1202 663 442.
Adrian notes that the RNLI can also offer training and lifeboat
set-up programmes to the purchaser, again at special prices.
This is an example of one IMRF Member offering to assist another
in a practical and cost-effective way. The IMRF stands ready to
help facilitate this sort of mutual SAR support whenever we
can.
Radios Broadcast
Regular LIFE LINE readers may recall our report in our October
edition last year of another example of one IMRF Member helping
others.
In this case, the United Kingdoms Maritime and Coastguard Agency
(part of the UKs Department for Transport, and responsible for
maritime SAR coordination, among other things) were renewing the
handheld radios used by the Coast-guard Rescue Service: the
volunteers who support Her Majestys Coastguard by providing coastal
search and cliff & mud rescue services.
The MCA very generously offered to recondition a large number of
the surplus
units for distribution by the IMRF to other Members less able to
afford such vital communications facilities.
As might be expected, there was g reat in terest in th is
proposal , and the IMRF Secretariat have had to ration supplies to
some extent. There is no question that the n e e d f o r s u c h
equipment is there: the difficulty, as always, lies in filling that
need.
That has not been the only difficulty: shipping radios and
batteries in this security-conscious age is not a simple matter -
and we apologise to Members who have had to wait longer for their
radios than they might have hoped.
However, the MCAs generosity has resul ted in improved
communications (and therefore improved SAR) for a mix of public and
charitable organisations in Estonia, Russia, Bulgaria, Malta,
Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, the Philippines, and across some thirteen
States in the Caribbean region.
So: Members Assisting Members is the name of the IMRFs scheme;
and its about sharing expertise as well as equipment. Please
contact us about it as appropriate: for details, see the article on
this page.
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LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE JJuunnee 22001122
page 10
SEND a message
In the last edition of LIFE LINE we considered the problem of
the GMDSS (the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System,
recognised internationally for use at sea in emergency and safety
cases) not being able to keep up with innovative developments in
communications systems (SPOT the difference; LIFE LINE, April
2012). In particular, we looked at the devices now on the market
known generically as SENDs: satellite-enabled emergency
notification devices.
The concern is that people will buy devices offering (or
appearing to offer) an emergency location function instead of
systems integral to the GMDSS, with the resultant risk that alerts
may not be delivered to the right place, or may not be delivered at
all.
The IMO (in its MSC Circular 1365, available from the IMO
website, www.imo.org) notes that these commercially available
locating, tracking and emergency notification devices are not
compliant with i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y a c c e p t e d
performance standards and operational criteria for global distress
alerting and therefore may be ineffective in emergency situations.
The IMO therefore recommends making the following information
available to providers of these devices and to their users or
potential users.
Users subject to IMO / ICAO regulations should carry a 406 MHz
distress beacon compatible with the established international
Cospas-Sarsat system. Non-regulated users may carry emergency
notification devices (SENDs) instead. However, says the IMO, these
devices, and the services offered, should meet performance
standards and oper-ational criteria equivalent to 406
MHz beacons if they are expected to provide equivalent
functionality. If a device or service falls short of these
standards and criteria, these limitations should be clearly
indicated to the user by the manufacturer.
These limitations may include:
a lack of global coverage
delayed alerting of the responsible SAR authority
diminished location accuracy and homing capability
a lack of automatic activation and survivability in the
aeronautical and maritime environments
reduced user identifier capability
In order to ensure timely and effective alert notification to
the responsible SAR authority - usually a rescue coordination
centre (RCC) - individual States may require SEND providers to
establish and maintain a user database that can be correlated with
the transmitted data and reliable contacts with relevant SAR
authorities.
Providers should also agree procedures with the State concerned,
inc lud ing test procedures, provision of SAR and user data on
demand, acceptable information format(s) and efficient resolution
of false alerts.
Fur thermore they should demonstrate that they can alert the
relevant SAR authorities at any time and within 5 minutes of a
confirmed distress situation, with positive confirmation of receipt
by the responsible SAR authority; and that they have robust and ef
fect ive p rocedures for distribution of alert notifications. This
would include training processes and backup systems to ensure
resilience.
In order to give users a clear indication of actual
effectiveness in emergency situations in specific areas, States may
also require providers to give potential users a list of those
States with which proper arrangements have been made, and the
coverage achieved.
All very sensible provisions - but we should note that it is the
responsibility of individual States to put such rules in
place...
Exchange your crew!
In addition to her sterling work with the IMRF Secretariat, Ann
Laing runs the Maritime Rescue Institute, in Scotland. She writes
here on behalf of the MRI.
We are delighted to be part of IMRF, and to support the new
European Regional Group initiative of International Crew Exchange.
This programme is led by the Dutch KNRM, who have submitted an EU
funding application on behalf of the other participating countries
- UK, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Norway and Iceland - to
pay for travel and accommodation costs.
The first exchange will take place in October and will become an
annual European event. We hope that it can be replicated in other
IMRF Regions. What an opportunity for crew of all levels to see,
learn from, and debate with their international associates!
For many years the Maritime Rescue Institute has hosted
volunteer crew from SAR organisations around the world at our base
in Stonehaven. We have a beautiful but challenging coastline, and
an independent way of looking at SAR, from the perspectives of both
the most developed services and of those who are very much at the
development stage. We learn just as much from our visitors as we
can teach, and we encourage an open-minded and honest exchange of
knowledge and experience.
We are great believers in three things: Environment Tools
Skills. Know your environment, know your tools, and put your skills
to use. We also believe in knowing your limitations. And the key is
that this is a team effort - the coxswain cannot do it alone.
Basic seamanship skills are vital: over-reliance on technology
must be avoided. Moreover, whats best in one part of the world need
not be so in a different environment, culture or resource
situation. Training and equipment must be fit for purpose.
Here at MRI we hope to offer training, workshops and discussion
forums for many years to come.
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LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE JJuunnee 22001122
page 11
Saving lives through education
There is an old adage that if you give a man a fish you feed him
for a day - but if you teach him to fish, you feed him for life. A
bit simplistic, but it makes a useful point.
The same must be true of lifesaving. If you save a drowning man,
he will be grateful. But if you teach him the basic water safety
skills - especially if you can catch him young and make it fun - he
may not need you to save him at all; or at least hell be more
likely to survive long enough for you to do so.
At their European Regional Meeting held in Oslo in October 2011,
IMRF Members noted that addressing water safety education (and thus
accident prevention or mitigation) was high on the list of
objectives agreed at the IMRF QGM in August.
Hilde Hamre of Norwegian Sea Rescue is now leading a small group
- John Leech of Irish Water Safety, Romano Grandi of Italys
National Rescue Society, and Ann Laing of the Maritime Rescue
Institute (MRI), Scotland - in the initial stages of gathering and
promoting information which can be shared with the IMRF membership.
Although this is a European Region initiative, we want to encourage
exchange of ideas among all IMRF members on this subject.
Lets look at an example of the sort of thing that can be done.
The details may not read across directly into your own
circumstances - but the aims surely do.
The team at MRI - a small charity based on the east coast of
Scotland - began a range of educational programmes in 2001 in an
attempt to get some serious safety messages across. In addition to
training lifeboat crews from around the world, and testing new
equipment, the MRI provides a lifeboat service itself - and had
begun to be concerned by the number of their coastal incidents
which involved young people.
Over the last decade the MRI has developed a range of
educational programmes tailored to suit all age groups. The core
message of all these programmes is to enjoy your coastal
environment whilst being safety-aware.
These programmes promote a range of skills which often reflect
those required by the lifeboat crew. These include: Leadership,
Teamwork, Communication, and Social Responsibility. Whilst the
participants have fun and learn new skills, MRI incorporates
crucial safety messages to improve awareness and therefore reduce
the number of incidents and fatalities. The programmes are aimed at
all ages ranging from 3 years old to adult. They focus on water
safety and rescue and can also incorporate local
issues such as flooding. Schools visit the MRI for class field
trips, which are activity- or topic-related and always include
aspects of coastal awareness, water safety and search and
rescue.
In recent years, MRIs education programmes have expanded and,
through specific funding, now include
working with primary, secondary and further education
institutions to produce appropr ia te educational material. Last
year MRI produced treasure chests, which contain various maritime
or SAR-based materials. Ten local primary schools received a chest;
and all welcomed the fact that the topics fit neatly into the
school curriculum.
Through their programmes MRI have found that safety messages and
knowledge of the work the charity does reach parents and other
relatives too, helping expand awareness across the community. This
leads to further support , and helps wi th fundraising, the
recruitment of volunteers and the development of the charitys
work.
MRIs latest project is called Waterproofing and involves working
with schoolchildren to produce material promoting coastal awareness
for their peers. This has also included swimming pool training
sessions teaching water safety awareness and rescue techniques,
using throw-lines. The MRI hopes to expand these training sessions
by offering them to other schools at a small cost, generating
income for the charity by doing so.
MRI has also worked with the local police as part of their
Coasting initiative, which targets youths involved in incidents
along the coast. The teenage bravado game of tombstoning (being
dared to jump off cliffs, usually without any regard to depth of
water, currents, or other hazards), has become popular in the past
few years around the British coast
and has resulted in a number of rescue incidents. Part of the
MRI education programme is to point out the risks involved.
Hilde, the IMRF project group leader, is looking for more
information about initiatives of this sort to add to the debate and
create a lively forum!
She can be contacted at Hilde.Terese.Hamre
@redningsskelskapet.no; or you can contact Ann Laing at
[email protected].
Have a look at the education section under projects in the
Members area of the IMRF website too:
www.international-maritime-rescue.org.
Fun & games - with a serious point - in Stonehaven. The
treasure chests are shown above.
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LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE JJuunnee 22001122
page 12
LLIIFFEE LLIINNEE
And finally...
We hope that you have found this issue of LIFE LINE informative
and interesting. We know that there is much more going on among
IMRFs membership that could be reported here, to the benefit of all
- but we
rely on you, the reader, to tell us about it! LIFE LINE and the
IMRF website need you to provide their contents - your news, your
projects, your events, your ideas, your lessons learned.
We also need your pictures, please: good quality pictures (more
than 250 kB, if possible) of your SAR units - boats, ships,
aircraft, RCCs etc. These will be used in LIFE LINE and on the
website - but are also
needed for presentations and to accompany press articles about
the IMRF and its worldwide work.
Please send articles and pictures (or links to them, with formal
permission for them to be used for IMRF purposes) to
[email protected].
Lets spread the word, for the benefit of all at risk on the
worlds waters.
News from Brazil
Another tale of international cooperation. Angels of the sea and
the mission of saving lives... reads the caption.
IMRF Trustee Jorge Diena writes: Last year, when I was in Itaja,
I met two people who manage a lifesaver school in Portugal. They
have managed to o rgan i ze an e xchange program [with IMRF Members
Anjos do Mar] and now four of their students are in Itaja giving
lectures and receiving instruction on how to handle jetskis.
Dr Catarina Queiroga, representing the lifesaving cooperative,
adds: I congratulate the four students and the whole training,
administrative and educational team which has contributed and
continues to contribute to the personal and professional success of
our graduates. Everything to save more lives!
Titanic - the last word...?
After all the centenary commemorations and discussions it is
probably time to bid the poor old Titanic farewell - or
so one might have thought. However, the BBC website reports that
an Australian billionaire is planning to build a Titanic II
(www.bbc.co.uk/news, 30 April).
The plan is for the ship to be as similar as possible to the
original Titanic in design - but built to modern safety standards.
Clive Palmer, one of Australias richest men, intends to build the
replica in China and have her ready to sail from London to New York
in late 2016.
"It is going to be designed so it won't sink,'' he has told
reporters, But of course it will sink if you put a hole in
it.''
Well: thats a refreshing dash of Aussie realism to begin with!
As with any ship, we wish her the best, if and when she sails.
However, to quote Mr Palmer himself: You never know what could
happen...
True - and that, after all, is why IMRF Members do what they
do!
News from Liberia
In 2000, African States agreed to coordinate regionally to
ensure effective maritime SAR. Regional MRCCs have been established
in Mombasa, Cape Town, Lagos, Monrovia and Rabat. Multi-lateral
agreements have been signed and Regional SAR Committees
established. Equipment has been supplied for national RCCs, and
personnel have been trained.
On 25-27 April representatives of Cte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Sierra
Leone, Guinea and Liberia met to discuss progress. The meeting was
coordinated by the IMO - and the IMRFs Udo Fox provided technical
facilitation.
The participants considered their multilateral agreement, the
SAR system concept, and SAR organization and management. They
discussed the strategic planning process, the development of
resources, and regional, national and operational SAR plans.
To establish a fully-functioning SAR system over such a huge
area is a colossal task at the best of times - and there are
additional challenges to face. The 2010-11 political crisis in Cte
d'Ivoire, for example, led to the loss of SAR equipment, including
some assigned to the new Maritime Rescue Sub Centre in Abidjan.
Other challenges include limited funding and a lack of trained
personnel: some centres cannot yet operate 24/7. Resource
assessments and enhanced SAR planning are also needed.
There is much to do - but there were have been many successes
too, most obviously measured in the lives being saved. The work
continues.