International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual

International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual
Name	International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual
Publisher	International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization
First	1998
Subject	Search and rescue

International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual is a joint manual developed to harmonize aeronautical and maritime search and rescue practices across United Nations member states, coordinated by International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization. It supports operational interoperability among national agencies such as United States Coast Guard, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Civil Aviation Authority, and regional bodies like European Maritime Safety Agency, Pacific Islands Forum and African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership. The manual integrates guidance used by organizations and events including ICAO Annex 12, SOLAS Convention, International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) and operational doctrines of services like Aeronautica Militare, Royal Air Force and Japan Coast Guard.

Overview and Purpose

The manual provides standardized procedures for search and rescue operations linking agencies such as International Maritime Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, OCHA and national authorities like Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Transport Canada and Dirección General de Aviación Civil. It establishes common terminology used by entities including Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, European Union Agency for Railways and North Sea Ministers' Council to ensure interoperability among responders such as Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger, Finnish Border Guard and Korean Coast Guard. The purpose aligns with international instruments like Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and protocols used in incidents like Air France Flight 447, Costa Concordia disaster, and Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 responses.

Organization and Structure

The manual is organized into parts and modules reflecting contributions from bodies including International Maritime Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, United Nations, European Commission, ICAO Council and national SAR authorities such as USCG Districts, HM Coastguard, Maritime and Coastguard Agency (UK), Maritime Safety Queensland and Norwegian Maritime Authority. Its structure parallels frameworks found in publications from International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and it cross-references standards like IMO Resolution A.849(20) and ICAO Doc 9731. The manual delineates command roles observed in organizations like Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax, Search and Rescue Region (ARR), Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and military formations such as Carrier Strike Group and Expeditionary Strike Group.

Operational Procedures and Coordination

Operational guidance aligns SAR procedures with practices of Search and Rescue Transponder, Cospas-Sarsat, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, Automatic Identification System, Long Range Identification and Tracking and satellite services provided by entities like Iridium Communications, Inmarsat and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. Coordination protocols reference multinational exercises and arrangements involving Exercise Pacific Partnership, Operation Atalanta, NATO Exercise Trident Juncture, EU NAVFOR and regional centers such as MRCC Falmouth, JRCC Victoria and SARSAT Coordination Centre. The manual prescribes search planning, resource allocation, communication procedures and incident management compatible with doctrines from Incident Command System, Civil Contingencies Secretariat, National Search and Rescue Committee (Canada), Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Brindisi and contingency practices demonstrated during responses to Hurricane Katrina, Typhoon Haiyan, and Indian Ocean tsunami relief operations.

Training and Implementation

Implementation guidance draws on curricula and training models used by International Maritime Rescue Federation, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Training Unit, United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, European Maritime Safety Agency training, and institutions such as United States Naval War College and Royal Australian Naval College. The manual supports standardized exercises, accreditation and competency frameworks compatible with programs from International Organization for Standardization, European Qualifications Framework, ILO training recommendations, and national academies like École Nationale de la Sécurité et de l'Administration de la Mer and Japan Coast Guard Academy. Training scenarios reference historical incidents including Titanic, Andrea Doria collision, Sully (Miracle on the Hudson), and multinational drills like RIMPAC.

Legal Framework and International Standards

The manual is grounded in legal instruments and standards including International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, Convention on International Civil Aviation, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, SAR Convention (1979), and resolutions from International Maritime Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization. It clarifies state responsibilities reflected in arrangements among Search and Rescue Region (SRR), Coast Guard Administration (Taiwan), Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Sines and bilateral agreements like those between United States and Canada or France and United Kingdom in the Channel. The manual interfaces with liability frameworks addressed in cases before courts such as International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and policies from bodies like European Court of Human Rights and World Trade Organization where transboundary coordination implicates jurisdictional issues.

Updates, Revisions, and Accessibility

Revisions are coordinated through International Civil Aviation Organization assemblies, International Maritime Organization Maritime Safety Committee meetings, specialist panels like ICAO Air Navigation Commission, and regional bodies including ASEAN and Pacific Community. Updates reflect technological advances from Copernicus Programme, Galileo (satellite navigation), COSPAS-SARSAT modernizations, and lessons from incidents reviewed by inquiries such as UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch, National Transportation Safety Board and Australian Transport Safety Bureau. The manual is disseminated to agencies including United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, European Maritime Safety Agency, Inter-Agency Standing Committee and national ministries, and is supported by translations and outreach through institutions like International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and International Maritime Rescue Federation.

Category:Search and rescue