CHAPTER 1

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

1.1. ‘Shall’ is used in the Annex to indicate a provision, the uniform application of which by all Parties is required in the interest of safety of life at sea.

1.2. ‘Should’ is used in the Annex to indicate a provision, the uniformapplication of which by all Parties is recommended in the interest of safety of life at sea.

1.3. The terms listed below are used in the Annex with the following meanings:

.1 ‘Search’. An operation, normally co-ordinated by a rescue co-ordination centre or rescue sub-centre, using available personnel and facilities to locate persons in distress;

.2 ‘Rescue’. An operation to retrieve persons in distress, provide for their initial medical or other needs, and deliver them to a place of safety;

.3 ‘Search and rescue service’. The performance of distress monitoring, communication, co-ordination and search and rescue functions, including provision of medical advice, initial medical assistance, or medical evacuation, through the use of public and private resources including co-operating aircraft, vessels and other craft and installations;

.4 ‘Search and rescue region’. An area of defined dimensions associated with a rescue co-ordination centre within which search and rescue services are provided;

.5 ‘Rescue co-ordination centre’. A unit responsible for promoting efficient organization of search and rescue services and for co-ordinating the conduct of search and rescue operations within a search and rescue region;

.6 ‘Rescue sub-centre’. A unit subordinate to a rescue co-ordination centre established to complement the latter according to particular provisions of the responsible authorities;

.7 ‘Search and Rescue facility’. Any mobile resource, including designated search and rescue units, used to conduct search and rescue operations;

.8 ‘Search and rescue unit’. A unit composed of trained personnel and provided with equipment suitable for the expeditious conduct of search and rescue operations;

.9 ‘Alerting post’. Any facility intended to serve as an intermediary between a person reporting an emergency and a rescue co-ordination centre or rescue sub-centre;

.10 ‘Emergency phase’. A generic term meaning, as the case may be, uncertainty phase, alert phase or distress phase;

.11 ‘Uncertainty phase’. A situation wherein uncertainty exists as to the safety of a person, a vessel or other craft;

.12 ‘Alert phase’. A situation wherein apprehension exists as to the safety of a person, a vessel or other craft;

.13 ‘Distress phase’. A situation wherein there is a reasonable certainty that a person, a vessel or other craft is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance;

.14 ‘On-scene co-ordinator’. A person designated to co-ordinate search and rescue operations within a specified area;

.15 ‘Secretary-General’. The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization’’.

CHAPTER 2

ORGANIZATION AND CO-ORDINATION

2.1. Arrangements for provision and co-ordination of search and rescue services

2.1.1. Parties shall, as they are able to do so individually or in co-operation with other States and, as appropriate, with the Organization, participate in the development of search and rescue services to ensure that assistance is rendered to any person in distress at sea. On receiving information that any person is, or appears to be, in distress at sea, the responsible authorities of a Party shall take urgent steps to ensure that the necessary assistance is provided. The notion of a person in distress at sea also includes persons in need of assistance who have found refuge on a coast in a remote location within an ocean area inaccessible to any rescue facility other than as provided for in the annex.

2.1.2. Parties shall, either individually or, if appropriate, in co-operation with other States, establish the following basic elements of a search and rescue service:

.1 legal framework;

.2 assignment of a responsible authority;

.3 organisation of available resources;

.4 communication facilities;

.5 co-ordination and operational functions; and

.6 processes to improve the service including planning, domestic and international co-operative relationships and training.

Parties shall, as far as practicable, follow relevant minimum standards and guidelines developed by the Organization.

2.1.3. To help ensure the provision of adequate shore-based communication infrastructure, efficient distress alert routeing, and proper operational co-ordination to effectively support search and rescue services, Parties shall, individually or in co-operation with other States, ensure that sufficient search and rescue regions are established within each sea area in accordance with paragraphs 2.1.4 and 2.1.5. Such regions should be contiguous and, as far as practicable, not overlap.

2.1.4. Each search and rescue region shall be established by agreement among Parties concerned. The Secretary-General shall be notified of such agreement.

2.1.5. In case agreement on the exact dimensions of a search and rescue region is not reached by the Parties concerned, those Parties shall use their best endeavours to reach agreement upon appropriate arrangements under which the equivalent overall co-ordination of search and rescue services is provided in the area. The Secretary-General shall be notified of such arrangements.

2.1.6. Agreement on the regions or arrangements referred to in paragraphs 2.1.4 and 2.1.5 shall be recorded by the Parties concerned, or in written plans accepted by the Parties.

2.1.7. The delimitation of search and rescue regions is not related to and shall not prejudice the delimitation of any boundary between States.

2.1.8. Parties should seek to promote consistency, where applicable, between their maritime and aeronautical search and rescue services while considering the establishment of maritime search and rescue regions which shall be established by agreement in accordance with paragraph 2.1.4 or the reaching of agreement upon appropriate arrangements in accordance with paragraph 2.1.5.

2.1.9. Parties having accepted responsibility to provide search and rescue services for a specified area shall use search and rescue units and other available facilities for providing assistance to a person who is, or appears to be, in distress at sea.

2.1.10. Parties shall ensure that assistance be provided to any person in distress at sea. They shall do so regardless of the nationality or status of such a person or the circumstances in which that person is found.

2.1.11. Parties shall forward to the Secretary-General information on their search and rescue service, including the:

.1 national authority responsible for the maritime search and rescue services;

.2 location of the established rescue co-ordination centres or other centres providing search and rescue co-ordination, for the search and rescue region or regions and communications therein;

.3 limits of their search and rescue region or regions and the coverage provided by their shore based distress and safety communication facilities; and

.4 principal types of available search and rescue units.

Parties shall with priority, update the information provided with respect to any alterations of importance. The Secretary-General shall transmit to all Parties the information received.

2.1.12. The Secretary-General shall notify all Parties of the agreements or arrangements referred to in paragraphs 2.1.4 and 2.1.5.

2.2 Development of national search and rescue services

2.2.1. Parties shall establish appropriate national procedures for overall development, co-ordination, and improvement of search and rescue services.

2.2.2. To support efficient search and rescue operations, Parties shall:

.1 ensure the co-ordinated use of available facilities; and

.2 establish close co-operation between services and organizations which may contribute to improve the search and rescue service in areas such as operations, planning, training, exercises and research and development.