Reports - SOS MEDITERRANEE

Discover all our latest reports and publications.

a dark-skinned newborn baby wearing a knit hat, wrapped in a red blanket and being held by its moth

Yann Levy/SOS MEDITERRANEE

Treated With Humanity: caring for survivors aboard the Ocean Viking

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Stefano Belacchi / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Tunisia is not a place of safety

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Laurin Schmid / SOS MEDITERRANEE

The castaways from hell

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STOP FAKE NEWS on search and rescue

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Be humane, save lives at sea, respect the law!

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Camille Martin / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Saving lives at sea: Together for rescue

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Laurin Schmid / SOS MEDITERRANEE

WOMEN AT SEA

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SRR

Search and Rescue Region

At the bottom of the chart, in light green, the Libyan SRR, above that, in ...

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CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a last resort intervention, for when a person is not breathing. It ...

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PSC

PSC (Port State Control) is an inspection regime for countries to inspect foreign-registered ships i...

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PoB

Number of persons onboard

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EGC

Enhanced Group Call :

Excerpt from the GMDSS Manual:

3.7.9 The EGC system, which was developed by In...

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ETD

Estimated Time of Departure

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PoS

Place of Safety :

Location where rescue operations are considered to terminate. It is also a place w...

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Tug

A small vessel designed to tow or push large ships or barges. Tugs have powerful diesel engines and ...

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ETA

Expected Time of Arrival

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RCC

Rescue Coordination Center A unit responsible forpromoting efficient organization of SAR services a...

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SRU

Search and Rescue Unit : A unit composed of trainedpersonnel and provided with equipment suitable ...

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SMC

SAR Mission Coordinator

The official temporarilyassigned to coordinate response to an actual or appa...

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OSC

On-Scene Coordinator:

A person designated to co-ordinate SAR operations within a specified area.

If...

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IOM

International Organisation for Migration :

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmenta...

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IMO

International Maritime Organisation :

United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the ...

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AFM

Armed Force of Malta :

Maltese maritime authority, in charge of the Maltese SAR Service.

https://afm...

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MCP

Mass Casualty Plan :

A situation where there is more than 1 unconscious person to resuscitate. In th...

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VHF

Very High Frequency :

ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves (radio ...

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RIB

Rigid Inflatable Boat :

Boat with rigid hull and inflatable tubes around the hull, generally with ou...

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GPS

Global Positioning System

A specific satellite-based radio navigation system in conjunction with mob...

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VTS

Vessel Traffic Service : VTS are shore-side systems which range from the provision of simple inform...

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SAR

Search And Rescue :

Search: An operation, normally co-ordinated by a rescue coordination center or r...

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MRO

Mass Rescue Operation :

A mass rescue operation (MRO) is one that involves the need for immediate ...

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Bow

Front of the ship.

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AIS

Automatic Identification System :

The AIS is a maritime transponder, used in VHF frequency for ident...

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GACS

The General Administration for Costal Security (GACS) is a Law Enforcement entity established within...

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FPSO

FPSO: A floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit is a floating vessel used by the o...

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SSAS

Ship Security Alert System :

Excerpt from the GMDSS Manual :

3.9.1 […] The SSAS is fitted to a ship ...

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MMSI

Maritime Mobile Service Identity number :

All vessels operating on the high seas require a Maritime...

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RHIB

Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat :

Boat with rigid hull and inflatable tubes around the hull, generally ...

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MRCC

Maritime Rescue Coordination Center

An RCC dealing with maritime SAR incidents.

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LNCG

Libyan Navy & Coast Guards

Libyan maritime authority, responsible for the Libyan SAR Service accordi...

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ITCG

Italian Coast Guards :

Italian maritime authority, responsible for the Italian SAR Service

http://ww...

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JRCC

Joint Rescue Coordination Center

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cable

cable: A cable length or length of cable is a nautical unit of measure equal to one tenth of a nauti...

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GISIS

Global Integrated Shipping Information System

https://gisis.imo.org

Website of the International Mar...

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Pilot

The vessel’s navigator. An especially knowledgeable person qualified to navigate a vessel through di...

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SOLAS

Safety Of Life At Sea

The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most...

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GMDSS

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System:

A global communications service based upon automated sy...

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Radar

Detection system that uses radio waves to determine the range, angle, or velocity of objects. It can...

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knots

Nautical speed, in Nautical miles per hour. 1 Knot = 1,852 km/h.

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ECDIS

Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems :

Ships have long been required to carry nautical ...

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UNCLOS

= United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The UNCLOS was adopted on 10th December ...

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Easy 1

One of the rescue RHIB onboard MV Ocean Viking with a capacity of 20 to 25 people, twin 115 horsepow...

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Easy 2

One of the rescue RHIB onboard Ocean Viking with a capacity of 15 to 20 people, 175 horsepower engin...

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Banana

Emergency floating device for critical rescue operation. The Banana is an inflatable tube of 16 mete...

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TNMRCC

Tunisian MRCC in Tunis

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SPMRCC

Spanish MRCC in Madrid

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MTJRCC

Maltese JRCC in Valetta

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LYJRCC

Libyan JRCC in Tripoli

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ITMRCC

Italian Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Rome)

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SITREP

Situation Report :

It gives information about on-scene mission progress and conditions. SITREPs are ...

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NAVTEX

NAVTEX provides shipping with navigational and meteorological warnings, meteorological forecasts and...

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Target

Object in the water surface or in the radar screen. Onboard the Ocean Viking, the SAR Team calls any...

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Course

Direction to where the ship goes to.

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IAMSAR

International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue :

IMO guidelines for a common aviation an...

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Bridge

Control room from where the ship and communications are managed.

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Anchor

An object designed to prevent or slow the drift of a ship, attached to the ship by a line or chain; ...

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medevac

Medical Evacuation: Life-saving technique based on timely transport and en route medical care of inj...

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Frontex

European Border and Coast Guard Agency. The aim of this EU agency is to “help EU countries and Schen...

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Colibri

Colibri is an airplane (MCR 4s) operated by the association Pilotes Volontaires. Its mission is to “...

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Shelter

Area at sea protected from the weather to leeward from the coast line

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Charter

Contract between the shipowner/shipmanager and the company in charge of the operations. SOS MEDITTER...

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Heading

Direction to where the ship heads to.

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Beaufort

The Beaufort scale is a scale for measuring wind speed.

See below the scale.

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on-scene

at the site of an incident

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Baseline

Line from which is measured the extent of States’ maritime entitlements.

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Moonbird

Airplane conducting a civil aerial reconnaissance mission, run together by Sea-Watch and the Humanit...

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Resupply

Action to provide with a fresh supply of food and non-food items.

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SAR Case

Reference number of the SAR operation designated by the RCC in charge. There is one SAR Case number ...

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Inmarsat

A system of geostationary satellites for world-wide mobile communications services and which support...

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distress

A situation wherein there is reasonable certainty that a vessel or other craft, including an aircraf...

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rotation

The Ocean Viking makes regular stops in port to refuel, to change the crew, for the maintenance of t...

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SAR Team

Team composed by 9 professional seafarers and rescuers, part of SOS MEDITERRANEE. They are in charge...

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Underway

A ship is underway when she is in movement towards a direction/destination or drifting. A ship is no...

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Liferaft

A liferaft is a self- inflatable emergency evacuation device. It is usually used by ships in case th...

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latitude

Distance from the equator in degrees.

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Open Arms

MV Open Arms (IMO: 7325887, MMSI 224772000) of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms. Spanish flag. l...

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Paris MoU

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control is the official document in which ...

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Bunkering

Bunkering is the supplying of fuel for use by ships

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high seas

Areas which are not subject to the sovereignty of any State.

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SAR State

State which is responsible for the search and rescue of persons using its services and equipment wit...

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survivors

Offical term to designate the people rescued from a distress situation.

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Sea state

General condition of the surface of the open sea. The state of the sea is described using the Dougla...

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Freeboard

Height between the water surface and the main deck of the ship.

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SafetyNET

Communications service provided via Inmarsat forpromulgation of MSI, including shore to ship relays ...

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longitude

Shortest distance from the Greenwich meridian in degrees.

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Main deck

Deck in the aft part of the ship, where are the reception facilities for survivors and where Easy 2 ...

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Alan Kurdi

MV Alan Kurdi (IMO: 5285667, MMSI: 211215130) of the German NGO Sea-Eye. German flag. Length 39m, wi...

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Channel 16

Marine VHF radio frequency designated as an international distress frequency.

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Flag state

The flag state of a merchant vessel is the jurisdiction under whose laws the vessel is registered or...

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Patrolling

Situation when the Ocean Viking is standing-by or/and moving at slow speed in an area where distress...

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evacuation

Situation where the SAR Team transfer people from the boat in distress, from the water or from the a...

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Provisions

Food and non-food items necessary for the crew to live in autonomy for several days and weeks onboar...

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lifejacket

Individual floating device which keep the body floating and the head out of the water. This can be a...

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Sea-Watch 3

MV Sea-Watch 3 (IMO: 7302225, MMSI: 211281610) of the German NGO Sea-Watch. German Flag. Length 50m,...

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Alarm Phone

Alarm Phone is part of Watch The Med project (http://www.watchthemed.net) and is an ‘alarm’ phone nu...

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Alert phase

A situation wherein apprehension exists as to the safety of an aircraft or marine vessel and of the ...

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rescue raft

Inflatable raft used by the SAR Team as emergency floating device during critical rescue operations.

...

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Port agency

Ships and the ship’s captain approach a port agency to make sure that proper mooring areas are allot...

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Main deck

Deck in the aft part of the ship, where the reception facilities for survivors are.

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EUNAVFOR MED

European military operation, also called “operation Sophia”, launched in May 2015 and deployed in th...

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Boat-landing

The boat landing is a special ladder surrounded by 2 pillars which allow the RHIB to transfer people...

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Coastal State

State that has sovereignty over specific territorial waters as well as sovereign rights in the conti...

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Transshipment

Operation of transferring people or material from a ship to another.

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SAR Convention

= International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR or Hamburg Convention)

It was adopted ...

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Bouri oilfield

The Bouri field lies in water depths between 145m and 183m, offshore the Libyan coast, in the Medite...

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Port Authority

A government body (city, county or state) which in international shipping maintains various airports...

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Nautical Miles

Nautical distance, 1 minute of latitude. 1 Nm = 1,852 km

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Contiguous zone

Area in which a coastal state may prevent and punish infringements of its laws and regulations with ...

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Emergency phase

A generic term meaning, as the case may be, uncertainty phase, alert phase or distress phase.

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place of safety

Location where rescue operations are considered to terminate. It is also a place where the survivors...

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critical rescue

Situation where the people in distress are in an unstable condition and the SAR Team has to deploy a...

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Global SAR Plan

A global SAR plan has been developed, defining detailed responsibilities for each member nation and ...

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Place of refuge

Place of refuge means a place where a ship in need of assistance can take action to enable it to sta...

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SAR Coordinator

Person in charge of the management of the mission for SOS MEDITERRANEE. This person is regularly on ...

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innocent passage

As indicated under article 19 of the Montego Bay Convention, a “passage is innocent so long as it is...

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SOLAS Convention

= International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS or London Convention)

This text was ...

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Operation Themis

Frontex (EU Border and Coast Guard Agency) operation launched in February 2018 to “assist Italy in b...

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Jasmund Shipping

Shipping company in charge of the management of Aquarius, including the certification of the ship, p...

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Uncertainty phase

A situation wherein doubt exists as to the safety of an aircraft or a marine vessel, and of the per...

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Port State Control

Port State Control (PSC) is an inspection regime for countries to inspect foreign-registered ships i...

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non-discrimination

Parties shall ensure that assistance be provided to any person in distress at sea. They shall do so ...

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Libyan Coast Guard

LNCG

Libyan maritime authority, responsible for the Libyan SAR Service according to the Global SAR P...

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Time charter party

A time charter – is a contract for the hire of a named vessel for a specified period of time. – may ...

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Search Action Plan

Message, normally developed by the SMC forpassing instructions to SAR facilities and agencies partic...

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Rescue Action Plan

A plan for rescue operations normally preparedby the SMC for implementation by OSC and facilities on...

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territorial waters

Belt of coastal waters extending at most 12 nautical miles from the baseline (usually the mean low-w...

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Circomare Lampedusa

“Circomare Guardia Costiera Lampedusa” is the Italian Coast Guard based in Lampedusa

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Project Coordinator

Person in charge of the management of the mission for MSF.

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International waters

Any body of water situated beyond 12 nautical miles from the baseline – outside the territorial wate...

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Operation Mare Sicuro

Aerial maritime operation launched in March 2015 by Italy’s Ministry of Defense, to “ensure maritime...

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transfer / transhipment

Transfer of rescued people between two ships. This can be done by RIBs, or alongside.

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Communication Officer

The person in charge of communication onboard the Ocean Viking serves a crucial role in managing med...

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Offshore Supply Vessel

OSV

These are cargo vessels that regularly transport goods, supplies or equipment in support of expl...

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Deputy SAR Coordinator

Person in charge of the management of the SAR Team of SOS MEDITERRANEE. This person manages the trai...

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Expanding square search

A search pattern used when the last known position of a search object has a high degree of accuracy,...

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Search and Rescue Region

An area of defined dimensions, associated with aRCC, within which SAR services are provided.

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Research & Evidence Officer

Person in charge of the collection, treatment, archiving and publication of all the information rela...

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Exclusive Economic Zone (EZZ)

Area where the coastal State has exclusive rights over the natural resources. However the State must...

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Paris Memorandum of Understanding

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control is the official document in which ...

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