1183 - Guidelines On The Provision Of External Support As An Aid To Incident Containment For Sar Authorities And Others Concerned

 

Ref: T2/6.01                                                                                                            MSC.1/Circ.1183

31 May 2006

 

 

 

1          TheMaritimeSafetyCommittee,atitseighty-firstsession(10to19May2006),witha viewtoprovidingspecificguidanceontheprovisionsforprovidingexternalsupportasanaidto incidentcontainmentforSARAuthoritiesandothersconcerned,approvedtheGuidelinesonthe provisionofexternalsupportasanaidtoincidentcontainmentforSARAuthoritiesandothers concerned,preparedbytheSub-CommitteeonRadiocommunicationsandSearchandRescueat its tenth session (6 to 10 March 2006), as set out in the annex.

 

2          MemberGovernmentsandinternationalorganizationsinconsultativestatusareinvitedto bring the annexed guidance to the attention ofSAR Authorities and others concerned.

 

 

 

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Annex

 

1 Introduction

1.1 In addition to the services that SAR Authorities provide in accordance with the SAR Convention, other emergency support can be provided or arranged in order to assist the ship to remain habitable. While there is no obligation on SAR Authorities to provide such services, they may be best-suited to assist if appropriate plans and resources to do so are developed.

2 Types Of External Support

2.1 The following types of externally supplied assistance and support may be available to those remaining on board:

 

1 Fire-Fighting Personnel And Equipment

Teamsofshore-basedfire-fighters,suitablytrainedandequippedforincidentsat sea,maybebroughttotheshipindistressbyhelicopterand/orbysurfacecraft,to adviseandassisttheship'screwintacklingand/orcontainingfires,smoke,and/or chemicalhazardsarisingfromspilled,leakingorburningmaterials.   Fireand/or salvageteamsmayalsobeabletobringadditionalequipmenttotheshiptoassist

in dealing with such hazards.

 

10 Security Support

Additionalspecialistsupportmayberequiredaccordingtothecircumstancesof

the  incident.   Amongst  such  specialists  are  security  personnel  (police,  military,

etc.)whomaybebroughtaboardtodealwithorcontainaspecificsecuritythreat,

or to assist in the control of passengers.

11 Extra Communications

Theprovisionofextracommunicationsequipmentandpersonneltoassistship's

staffwillnotinitselfremovetheneedforevacuation,butshouldbearrangedin

support of other responses noted above.

12 SAR Liaison Support

Extrapersonnelandspecialistequipmentmaybeneededaboardshipsengagedin

responding  to  an  incident,  usually  to  assist  with  on  scene  co-ordination  and/or

withcommunicationsandlogistics.   Again,provisionofthisresourcealonewill

notpreventevacuation,butitmaybeofassistanceinsupportofotherresponses

noted above.

13 Other Specialist Support

Otherspecialistswhosesupportmayberequiredaremarinepilotsandotherstaff

from  the  coastal  State,  and  additional  or  replacement  ship's staff,  especially  if

members of the originalcrew are incapacitated.

2 Extrication Of Trapped Persons

Fireand/orsalvageteamsmaybebroughttotheshipwithsuitableequipmentto rescue,  or  assist  with  the  rescue  of,  persons  trapped  in  machinery,  etc.,  or  by wreckage,flooding,fire,smokeorotherenvironmentalhazard,orinconditionsof list restricting or preventing the use of stairs and walkways.

3 Salvage Personnel And Equipment

Itisaxiomaticthatlifesavingtakesprecedenceoversalvageñbutsavingtheship mayalsobethebestmeansofsavingherpassengersandcrew.   Salvageteams, trained,equippedandexperiencedindealingwithincidentsatseacan,aspartof orinadditiontotheirnormalsalvagework,assistwithlifesavingby,forexample, helping to keep a ship afloat, upright and stable.

4 Emergency Towing

Provisionofavesselcapableofestablishingandmaintainingatowonadisabled ship  may  also  be  a  lifesaving  measure  if,  for  example,  the  ship  is  thereby  kept clearofnavigationalhazards.   Towingmayalsobearescuemeasureiftheship can be brought to a place of safety with her people still aboard.

5 Damage Control Equipment

Equipmentmaybebroughttotheshiptopreventfurtherdamage,controlflooding, restore  stability,  and/or  to  enable  (temporary)  repairs  to  be  undertaken,  thus enabling the ship to reach a place of safety under her own power or under tow.

6 Engineering Support

In  cases  of  breakdown  of  main  propulsion  systems  or  other  key  equipment,  the

provisionofextraengineeringpersonnelandequipmentinsupportofship'sstaff

may enable the ship to keep her people aboard until she reaches a place of safety.

7 Medical Assistance

Medical  teams,  equipment  and/or  supplies  may  be  brought  to  the  ship  to  assist

ship'sstaffwithtriageandinitialtreatmentofillnessorinjury,stabilizingpatients

so  that  they  can  be  kept  on  board  until  a  place  of  safety  is  reached  rather  than

being  exposed  to  the  additional  risk  and  trauma  of  being  taken  ashore  by

helicopter or boat.

8 Decontamination Teams

In  cases  where  the  ship  is  contaminated  (whether  by  accident  or  by  deliberate

release),specialistdecontaminationteamsandequipmentmaybebroughttothe

ship to contain the damage and treat those affected.  In addition to the usual aimof

rescuingthosedirectlyaffected,thisproceduremayalsobenecessaryinorderto

protect  other  people  ñ  including  the  crews  of  SAR  facilities  and  responding

personnelattheplaceofsafetyñandequipment:thelossofaSARunitbecause

of   contamination   will   have   serious   consequences   for   further   SAR   work,

for example.

9 Welfare Support

In  addition  to  medical  assistance,  it  may  be  necessary  to  provide  other  basic

humanitarian   services   to   the   ship   to   prevent   her   having   to   be   evacuated.

Such services  may  include  temporary  shelter,  water,  food,  heating,  clothing  and

additionalorreplacementlifesavingequipment.   Trainedpersonnelmayalsobe

required to assist the ship's staff, particularly in the care of passengers.

3 Identifying Sources Of External Support

3.1       TheSARCo-ordinator*  ofeachMemberStateshouldseektoidentifypotentialsourcesof externalsupportofthetypeslistedinparagraph2aboveandshoulddiscusswitheachpotential source the possibility of utilizingit for rescue purposes at sea.

 

3.2       Inseekingtoidentifypotentialsourcesofsupport,theSARCo-ordinatorshouldconsider all   emergency   response   resources   available   in   the   SAR   Region,   including   salvage   and counter-pollution  resources,  shoreside  emergency  services  such  as  fire  and  rescue  services, medicalservices,andsecurityservices,andtheavailabilityofseagoingtugs,anddamagecontrol and decontamination equipment.

 

3.3       TheSARCo-ordinatorshouldalsoliaise,wherepracticable,withCompanies**  operating in  the  SAR  Region  (and  particularly  with  passenger  ship  Companies)  as  to  the  support arrangements the Company has madein accordance with its responsibilities under the ISM Code.

 

  3.4       TheSARCo-ordinatorshoulddevelopandmaintainaregisterofthespecializedservices available within each SAR Region which can provide external assistance and support

 

 

______________________

*              “Oneor morepersonsor agencieswithinan Administration with overall responsibility for establishingand

providingSARservicesand ensuringthat planning for thoseservicesisproperly co-ordinated”(asdefined

intheIAMSAR Manual).

**             As defined inthe International Safety Management (ISM)Code.

 

4 Provision Of External Support

4.1       It  is  recommended  that  memoranda  of  understanding  should  be  agreed  by  the  SAR Co-ordinator  and  providers  of  external  support  services.        Such  memoranda  of  understanding shouldincludedetailsoftheserviceavailable;anylimitationsonitsuse;howitwillbealerted, tasked  and  transported  to  and  from  the  scene;  lines  of  command,  control  and  co-ordination; communication arrangements; and any financial arrangements, including cost recovery.

 

4.2       The  register  of  support  services  available,  together  with  relevant  contact  details  and details of memoranda of understanding or other agreements, should be available to the RCC.

5 Co-Ordination Of Support Arrangements With The Company

5.1

Companies  and  SAR  services  should  co-ordinate  their  support  arrangements

when

planningforemergencyresponse.   Relevantmemorandaofunderstandingorotheragreements should be brought to the attention of both parties.

 

5.2       In  the  event  of  an  incident,  the  RCC  and  the  Company  should  make  early  contact  and establishreliablecommunications,soastoensure,interalia ,thatthesupportarrangementsthey are setting in place are co-ordinated with each other.

 

5.3       Whichpartyisleadingtheresponseshouldalsobemadeclearfromtheoutsetandkept underreview.  Ingeneral,theCompanywillleadinincidentsthatdonotamounttodistress,with SAR  service  support  as  necessary.    In  distress  situations  the  roles  will  usually  be  reversed. In both  cases,  however,  it  will  usually  be  for  the  ship's master  to  assess  his  on-board  support needs, and for the Company and the SAR services to act in his support.    

 

 

 

 

5.4       Both  at  the  planning  stage  and  during  an  incident  it  should  be  agreed  by  both  parties whetherornotaresourceisbeingusedforrescue(i.e.,aspartofthelifesavingresponseinan incidentamountingtodistress).  Itislikelythatotheroperationswillbetakingplaceinaddition to  SAR  (counter-pollution  and/or  salvage  operations,  for  example)  and  prioritization  and co-ordination of these different parts of the overall response is important.

 

5.5       If  costs  are  accrued  as  part  of  the  external  support  function,  it  should  be  clear  to  both parties where those costswill fall.

 

6 Maritime Assistance Services (MAS)

6.1       AssemblyresolutionA.950(23)dealswiththeestablishmentanddutiesoftheMaritime AssistanceService(MAS)ñthepointofcontactbetweenshipsandthecoastalStateforincidents whichdonotamounttodistress,anddistinguishesbetweentheMASandRescueCo-ordination Centres (RCC) in this regard.

 

6.2       WhiletheMASdoesnothavearescuefunction,anddoesnotnecessarilysupplysupport services  itself,  close  contact  with  it  should  be  established  by  the  SAR  Co-ordinator  and maintainedbytheRCCinordertoaidcommunicationandco-ordination.   Asrecommendedin resolutionA.950(23)*,considerationshouldbegiventohavingtheMASfunctioncarriedoutby theRCC.  TheRCCwillthenhavedirectknowledgeof,andcontactwith,theservicesthatmay beavailabletosupportSAR,includingexternalsupportservices.   Anadditionalbenefittothis arrangementisthatthereisthenasinglepointofcontactforthecoastalStateforashipwithan emergency to report.

 

6.3       In  any  event,  it  is  important  that,  in  incidents  involving  other  responses  in  addition  to SAR,theprioritiesarecleartoallinvolved.   Thesafetyoflifetakespriorityoverprotectionof theenvironmentandthesalvingofproperty.   Operationsshouldbecarefullyco-ordinatedsoas

toensurethatthisisthecase.  Thisincludestheuseofsupportserviceswhoserolesmayinclude responsibilities in more than one area of operations.

 

 

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*              “TheallocationofMASfunctionstoanMRCCcouldfromapracticalviewpointbeanadvantageousand

effective   solution   but   would   require   the   personnel   to   be   well   trained   in   distinguishing   between circumstances  causing  a  ship  to  find  itself  in  a  distress  situation  and  circumstances  placing  a  ship  in  a difficultsituationbutnotindistressasdefinedintheSARConventionandproceduresarisingtherefrom” (resolution A.950(23), Annex 2, paragraph 1.2).

 

7 Conclusion

7.1       Thesafetyofthoseinvolvedinanemergencyremainsthechiefpriorityatalltimes.  Ifa ship  remains  habitable  following  an  emergency,  the  SAR  Authorities  and  others  concerned shouldseektoprovidesupportasanaidtocontainingtheemergencyandspecificallytoreduce

the need for evacuation.

• Informatietype: Internationaal
• Documentsoort: Circulaire niet in wetten.nl
• Toegangsrechten: Extern
• Identificatie: PUC_1906_14
• Versie: 1
• Datum beschikbaarheid: 07-11-2007
• Geldigheid van: 31-05-2006
• Wijzigingsdatum: 24-11-2016
• Titel: 1183 - Guidelines On The Provision Of External Support As An Aid To Incident Containment For Sar Authorities And Others Concerned
• Organisatie: International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• Taal: Nederlands
• Onderwerp: Veiligheid / Safety
• Hoofdtaak: Koopvaardij / Merchant Shipping
• Thema: Zeevaart / Seagoing ships / Information / IMO Instruments (Informative) / Circulars (Informative) / MSC Circulars (Informative) / 1100 until 1199