The IMRF in conjunction with the IMO held a search and rescue (SAR) administration and management training course in December 2019, in Rabat Morocco.

Twenty-nine participants from nine countries including Egypt, Yemen, Djibouti, Qatar, Jordan, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco attended the course, which was tailored to reflect regional challenges. 

The course was led by the IMRF’s Captain Mohammed Drissi and hosted by Moroccan Marine Fisheries Ministry (DPM).

The high-ranking attendees came from the Aeronautical SAR organisation in Morocco, from the Navy, the Marine Police, the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and the Merchant Marine Directorate. 

The mixture of professional careers and different experiences proved extremely productive in the group discussions where attendees could share alternative but valuable perspectives. 

The training covered a broad range of topics including the legal parameters for international SAR, coastal states duties and liabilities, key aspects of aeronautical and maritime SAR, building effective SAR cooperation at both national and international levels and the duties of the MRCC and SAR coordinators. 

The course included a visit to the Moroccan Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Rabat to learn more about how MRCC Rabat conducts and coordinates multi-agency SAR missions.

It also offered an opportunity to highlight the difference between the rescue of lives and salvage, and to discuss the IMO conventions and provisions, as many of the countries who attended the training  do not currently have well-defined SAR services.