(NEWS) SSRS and SMA Deliver Maritime Safety Programme for WMU

September

2020

SSRS and SMA Deliver Maritime Safety Programme for WMU

The Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS – Sjöräddnings Sällskapet), together with the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA-Sjöfartsverket), provided a programme for the Maritime Safety and Environmental Administration students on 16 and 17 September that consisted of a lecture and demonstration. The programme was organized by the Leader of Volunteer Operations/International SAR Development, Matthew Fader, with Dr. Thore Hagman and Dr. Mattias Wengelin of SSRS, and Johan Mårtensson of SMA’s SAR System Management & Organization.

The lecture introduced students to the Swedish system of governmental/NGO cooperation and provided a brief historical background of rescue at sea. Perspectives were also shared regarding the volunteer aspects of SSRS and international search and rescue (SAR) community collaboration. The International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual (IAMSAR) was introduced and discussed regarding the fundamentals of IMO’s legal frameworks.

The demonstration portion of the programme took place in the Malmö harbor. Students were introduced to a team of volunteers from RS Lomma and had the opportunity to see some of the vessels used by SSRS in SAR operations and ask questions of the SSRS team. A practical exercise followed where the students watched the team conduct practical exercises focused on different search and rescue (SAR) scenarios that demonstrated how the IAMSAR manual recommendations can be implemented and practically applied.

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