Where does maritime SAR take place?

Maritime SAR takes place anywhere there are water bodies. However, SAR more generally takes place anywhere there are human beings: aquatic, terrestrial, aerial, sub-surface, astronautical environments.

Maritime SAR Regions

The globe is divided into search and rescue geographic regions for organization and delegation of responsibilities. Nation-states and their jurisdictions take on responsibilities, sometimes overlapping, of SAR activities in the respective region. We read “Following the adoption of the 1979 SAR Convention, IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee divided the world’s oceans into 13 search and rescue areas, in each of which the countries concerned have delimited search and rescue regions for which they are responsible.” [1]

Resources

[1] https://www.imo.org/en/about/Conventions/Pages/International-Convention-on-Maritime-Search-and-Rescue-(SAR).aspx [2] https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/CG-5R/nsarc/IMO%20Maritime%20SAR%20Regions.pdf

Author (topical bio)

Robert J. Rovetto

• MMSAR
• Co-author of U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan
• USCG-licensed Merchant Mariner (Deck Officer - Master 100 Ton Inland)
• U.S. Maritime SAR Profile (1)
• Sample Project: https://ontowaves.wordpress.com/