SAR Cooperation Plans
Plans for cooperation between search and rescue services and passenger ships.
The preparation of a SAR cooperation plan is required under regulation V/7.3 of the SOLAS Convention:
“Passenger ships, to which chapter I applies, shall have on board a
plan for co-operation with appropriate search and rescue services
in event of an emergency. The plan shall be developed in co-operation
between the ship, the company (ship-owner) as defined in regulation IX/1,
and the search and rescue services. The plan shall include provisions
for periodic exercises to be undertaken to test its effectiveness.
The plan shall be developed based on the guidelines developed by the Organisation.”
Pdf version of this form will eventually be available here (PDF, 47 KB)
Carrying a SAR cooperation plan is also a Canadian requirement through the Navigation Safety Regulations, 2020 (section 139): Navigation Safety Regulations, 2020 (justice.gc.ca).
Purposes of SAR Cooperation Plans:
- Enable early and efficient establishment of contact – in the event of an emergency – between a passenger ship, its operator’s shore-based emergency response system and SAR services;
- Provide the SAR services with easily accessible and up-to-date information about the ship; and
- Provide the ship and its operators with easily accessible information about SAR and other emergency services available in the ship’s area of operation.
A SAR cooperation plan shall contain information on the ship-owner, ship, SAR services or SAR Data Provider, media relations and periodic exercises. Guidance and templates for the plan can be found in the International Maritime Organization’s MSC/Circ. 1079 Session (imo.org) ( PDF), which provides the guidelines for co-operation between search and rescue services and passenger ships.
The Canadian Coast Guard is currently developing a SAR Cooperation Plan template for Canada. Once the template is completed, it will be available at this location.
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