The IMRF has accepted an invitation to participate as an observer in the ongoing project to update the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea. This important collaboration aims to ensure that international legal frameworks better reflect the realities of today’s maritime operations, including search and rescue (SAR), during times of conflict.  

In 1994, after six years of meticulous work, a team of experts finalised the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, which was published the following year. It quickly became a global reference point. It has inspired national military manuals across the globe and has been consistently cited by both international and domestic judicial bodies. Legal practitioners, academics, and the humanitarian community have also regularly relied on it. But naval warfare has changed,  and so has the law. Today, updating the Manual is vital to keep it at the forefront, reflecting both the realities of modern armed conflict and the latest developments in naval operations.

To achieve this, the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, with active support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Norwegian Red Cross Society, is spearheading a project to update the Manual for today’s challenges. The project brings together over 50 experts from around the world, including naval legal practitioners, academics, humanitarians, and founding advisers who shaped the original Manual, and observer organisations, creating a diverse team of specialists.

This follows a presentation by Abby Zeith, Legal Adviser in ICRC’s Arms and Conduct of Hostilities Unit at the IMRF G6 meeting in June 2025, where she outlined how the existing laws of naval warfare, including the Geneva Conventions, apply today, especially considering the complex operational challenges faced by search and rescue (SAR) organisations amid new technologies and evolving naval tactics.

There has never been a comprehensive treaty on the conduct of naval warfare, and the exact rules have always been subject to much debate between states. Except for the universally ratified Second Geneva Convention of 1949, which addresses the protection of wounded, sick, and shipwrecked members of armed forces at sea, no multilateral treaty specifically focused on naval warfare has been adopted since the 1930s.

In addition to the Geneva Conventions, SAR operations are governed by frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, as amended, International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), as amended. However, their application during armed conflict is not always clear. Questions around neutrality, legal rights and obligations, protections, as well as operational boundaries, remain a pressing concern for SAR sector. While the duty to assist those in distress at sea is universally recognised, the rights and limitations of neutral rescue services operating in or near conflict zones are not always well defined.

The protection of SAR personnel, facilities and infrastructure is another area requiring urgent attention. Rescue Coordination Centres, radio communications and other critical services can be directly or indirectly affected during conflict, while new threats such as cyberattacks, electronic interference, and GPS jamming present emerging challenges for responders. Current legal protections often fail to address these risks adequately.

Recognising the need to safeguard both people and services at sea, the IMRF is contributing its operational expertise to the San Remo Manual Update Project. Despite serving as a key reference document for over three decades, its provisions must evolve to effectively address the complexities of today’s maritime environment and the modern means and methods of naval warfare, including unmanned systems, hybrid threats, long-range targeting, cyber warfare, and numerous other challenges.

As part of this work, the IMRF is developing practical guidance to help SAR organisations and authorities navigate the legal frameworks relevant to their operations during armed conflict. This guidance is expected to be published in 2026.

This collaboration reflects the IMRF’s ongoing commitment to advocating for stronger protections for SAR personnel and ensuring that humanitarian principles are upheld, even in the most challenging of maritime environments.