A group of 12 students from Black Sea Countries have completed their assigned four weeks training in Search and Rescue Mission Coordination at the Armed Forces of Malta’s Maritime Safety and Security Training Centre (MSSTC). The Graduation ceremony was recently held at the Maritime Squadron.
The training course was organised as part of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Integrated Technical Cooperation Program and was hosted by the MSSTC, Malta. The course was based on the IMO Model Course 3.14 and the need for immediate and extensive SAR training in the Black Sea region identified in the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) report prepared in 2003 by IMO Consultants.
Training places were awarded to a maximum of two participants from each country from the Black Sea region. The participating countries for this course were Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Malta. The course was intended for those governments or other authorities with responsibilities in connection with SAR Operations.
The training course was dedicated to promoting the implementation of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979. Although the obligation of ships to go to the assistance of vessels in distress was enshrined both in tradition and in international treaties (such as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974), there was, until the adoption of the SAR Convention, no international system covering search and rescue operations.
As its title implies, the SAR Convention is designed to improve existing arrangements and provide a framework for carrying out search and rescue operations following accidents at sea. Despite the fact that many countries have their own established plans for such emergencies this was the first time international procedures had been adopted. The Convention entered into force in 1985.
The Maritime Safety and Security Training Centre (MSSTC) of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) was established in 2010 and is the successor to the Search and Rescue Training Centre (SAR-TC) which operated between 2003 and 2009. During this initial period the curriculum of the school was limited to competencies related to maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) including courses for SAR Mission Coordinators and On Scene Coordinators.
However, throughout the years, the need for training in other areas related to Maritime Operations was felt, thus the decision was taken to further expand the curriculum of the institution to include subjects such as Operational Maritime Law, Counter Narcotics and Boarding Courses.
The student body of the MSSTC not only serves for training to AFM personnel, but training slots are also made available to overseas students from a variety of African and European countries. Since 2003 the two institutions have provided training to over 400 personnel, of which more than one third have come from foreign Navies, Coastguards, Maritime Authorities and Emergency Response Organisations with students hailing from 26 different countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Instructors are sourced from within the AFM as well as guest lecturers provided by other organisations including the US Coastguard, and other expert lecturers.
The most recent course convened provided training for prospective Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators over a period of 4 weeks. The students attending the course were mainly officers coming from Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres who coordinate Search and Rescue in the Black Sea. The course is mainly based on Maritime Search Planning, aimed at those personnel who will be Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators in a Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC). The aims are mainly to:
• Understand the SAR System and Organisation • Investigate and obtain information about an incident to initiate response to a SAR incident which will be vital for the success of the operations. • Correctly use Search and Rescue Planning Software (Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System, SAROPS) to enhance SAR missions. • Prepare and make a Search and Rescue Action Plan for Search and Rescue Units to carry out the Operation. • Coordinate, execute plans, and monitor the SAR System up and down the chain of command. • Be able to conclude operations and evaluate the mission.
Finally the course ensures that a solid background of the processes used in planning and coordinating SAR operations is well known. Students receive training that is of generic applicability and not limited to any particular national structure or organization. Training includes SAR organisation, international legislation and publications, risk-management and the various factors that affect the planning and mission execution process. Such training supports international cooperation and standardisation in the critical endeavor of ensuring the safety of lives at sea.
On completion of the course successful students have qualified as Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators from the Armed Forces of Malta.
More courses are scheduled for 2012, with another Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Course, a Basic Boarding Officer Course and an On Scene Coordinator Course.