The IMRF recently attended the annual meeting of the North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum (NACGF) in Reykjavík, Iceland, following an invitation from a member organisation. The forum took place in late April and was attended by Roly McKie, IMRF IMO Representative and SAR Adviser, who delivered two presentations during the meeting and made significant contributions to the discussions on SAR response to battery fires at sea. The NACGF is a forum for North Atlantic nations' Coast Guard services and Coast Guard functions agencies to discuss search and rescue (SAR), counter pollution, maritime security, border control, maritime crime and technologies used in these activities.

The IMRF was invited to join the SAR working group (SAR WG) of this forum and gave a presentation on the ongoing work collaborating with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to develop guidance on conducting civilian SAR operations in situations of armed conflict. The presentation also covered related work being undertaken as part of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL) review of the 1994 San Remo Manual on the Rules of Armed Conflict at Sea.

A briefing was also given on the IMRF’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) Exchange, and the SAR WG members were invited to join the programme next year. Those in the meeting who had personnel attend the RCC Exchange in 2026 reported positively on the activity.

Additionally, the IMRF contributed to detailed discussions around SAR response to battery fires at sea. Roly outlined the research project that the IMRF is currently involved on this topic and invited the SAR WG members to attend the upcoming IMRF and University of Queensland tabletop exercise in London on this subject, in early June.

Participation in the NACGF meeting provided an important opportunity for the IMRF to engage directly with operational agencies working at the forefront of maritime SAR. The discussions highlighted shared challenges across the region and countries and reinforced the value of international collaboration in developing effective responses. Additionally, the meeting provided a platform for the IMRF to highlight three significant IMRF projects and activities, enhancing knowledge sharing and supporting continued engagement with international SAR partners on shared operational priorities.