Maritime Search and Rescue Communication Exercise with the Port Blair Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (Port Blair MRCC), India.

On the morning of February 13, 2024, in Hanoi, implementing the search and rescue communication exercise (SARCOMEX) plan approved by the competent authority, Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (Vietnam MRCC) organized a SARCOMEX with Port Blair MRCC via phone and email in English with the following hypothetical scenarios:

Scenario 1: At 09:30, the EAST STAR oil tanker under the Vietnamese flag was on its voyage in the waters of Port Blair, India, when the engine room caught fire. The vessel’s first mate was unconscious due to severe burns, and two other crew members had difficulty breathing after escaping the fire. The captain called Port Blair MRCC to request emergency rescue and firefighting assistance.

Scenario 2: At 10:15, the Indian-flagged cargo ship SAKTHI, traveling from Sri Vijaya Puram, India, to Vietnam, experienced flooding in the engine room through a crack about 4 inches (10 cm) from the port side, causing the vessel to list to the left. The speed of the flooding ingress was greater than the anti-sink pumping capacity of the vessel. The captain requested emergency assistance from Vietnam MRCC.

The two MRCCs conducted the SARCOMEX to strengthen international cooperation in the field of maritime search and rescue, according to the recommendations of the International Maritime Organizatio (IMO); to inspect the information processing mechanism of the maritime search and rescue system between the participating parties via telephone, fax, and email; to raise awareness, responsibility, and professional qualifications of duty officials in coordinating with foreign countries in maritime search and rescue activities./.

Several photos of the SARCOMEX between Vietnam MRCC and Port Blair MRCC