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A report that around thirty people needed to be rescued. That message from the French Coast Guard marked the start of an international Search and Rescue exercise in the North Sea on Thursday, 10 September. Following a simulated incident, the castaways were taken aboard several vessels participating in the exercise: Pollux from Defence and Sirius from Fleet, part of the Maritime Services and Coast Agency (MDK). As the exercise took place in Belgian waters, coordination of the rescue operation was entrusted to the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Ostend. Rescue helicopters from France and Belgium were deployed. An aircraft from the Dutch Coast Guard also took part in the operation. The helicopters and the Fleet rescue vessel R7-Orinoco evacuated the victims from the sea and brought them safely ashore. The rescued persons were transported to both Koksijde and Ostend. Large-scale and international “This exercise is larger in scale than the exercises we usually conduct and are accustomed to,” said Annick De Ridder, Flemish Minister for Mobility, Public Works, Ports and Sports. “Cross-border challenges increasingly require neighbouring countries to rely on one another, which makes multinational exercises such as this one extremely valuable.” “A major rescue operation today requires more than helicopters and rescue boats alone. We must be able to safely combine a wide range of assets. By training together with the Netherlands and France, we strengthen our cooperation and interoperability. This ensures that, in a real emergency, we can respond quickly and operate as one well-coordinated team,” said Minister of Defence Theo Francken. Safety first During the exercise, Skeyes monitored both participating and non-participating air traffic from Ostend Airport. The MRCC in Ostend was responsible for overall coordination. To guarantee air safety at all times, the search phase of the exercise was kept limited, with the primary focus placed on evacuating the victims to Ostend Airport and the military base in Koksijde. In addition, flights took place not only above Belgian territorial waters but also above the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Working together when every minute counts “Belgian waters are heavily trafficked and contain extensive infrastructure. An incident involving a large number of people ending up in the water is certainly conceivable. In a large-scale emergency, different air assets and vessels must be able to work together rapidly, safely and efficiently within a limited search area. That is why cooperation with our federal partners, such as Defence, is crucial. Equally important is cooperation with neighbouring countries, because Dutch aviation responsibility partly extends over Belgian waters. Through this exercise, we strengthen that cooperation and ensure that all services involved are fully aligned and prepared to work together effectively,” said Nathalie Balcaen, Administrator-General of the Maritime Services and Coast Agency. Division Admiral Tanguy Botman, Commander of the Navy, stated: “When someone is in distress at sea, every minute counts. Behind every rapid and effective rescue operation lies a complex cooperation between numerous partners. The Navy contributes to this every day, both through its operational assets at sea and through its permanent presence within the Maritime Information Crossroads, where information from various services is brought together to maintain an up-to-date picture of the North Sea. Together with our civilian and military partners, we support the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC), which coordinates assistance at sea. In this way, we stand ready day and night to respond quickly and in a coordinated manner whenever human lives are at risk.” MMO The Multipurpose Maritime Operation (MMO) is an operation supported by three European agencies: the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and Frontex, which is responsible for border surveillance. |
