Command Management: Emergency and Search and Rescue

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The Role of OSC

An On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) is a person, a ship, or an aircraft in charge of a rescue mission. Marine emergencies require collaboration and effective communication systems to ensure the crew and the vessels are rescued. A Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) is a designated coordination center that acts as a search, rescue, and contact region during marine emergencies (Andreassen et al., 2018). The closest and most convenient MRCC organizes a Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator (SMC) during an emergency. The SMC designates an OSC that works in different capacities to ensure a successful rescue mission.

OSC serves various duties like coordinating other scene facilities’ efforts, carrying the SAR plan from SMC, and changing and modifying the SAR plan relative to the on-scene situation demands (IAMSAR III, 2016). Moreover, the OSC provides timely weather reports, mission progress updates, actions taken, and any planned action with recommendations to the SMC. The OSC is also involved in record-keeping and takes the mission details like searched area, sightings, survivors’ details, and track spacing. During the search mission, SMC and OSC organize emergency medical services for the survivors. Therefore, OSC serves a crucial role in a search-rescue mission.

State, With Reasons, Which Vessel Would Be Best Suited to Act in This Capacity

A suitable vessel to act as OSC in the given scenario emergency would be the one that arrives at the scene first and with a sufficient workforce to conduct the rescue mission. Moreover, the OSC should have an effective communication system. The ‘Expedition’ vessel from Liberia would be the most suitable OSC since it arrived on the scene first and had an adequate workforce. The ship had a Master, six deck officers, seven engineers, an ETO, and thirty-one other crew who could organize and coordinate the mission. The rescuers could utilize the vessel’s hospital to offer emergency services to the survivors. Moreover, the availability of the six small crafts could be used to rescue the survivors from the water. Therefore vessel ‘Expedition’ was the most appropriate OSC since it had sufficient staffing and facilities suitable for the mission.

State, With Reasons, The Most appropriate Commence Search Time (CST)

CST calculation is dependable on various factors: number of involved vessels, search pattern used, speed, and positions of the participating search vessels. In this scenario, four vessels were involved, and the search pattern used was a parallel swap. CST is based on the ETA of the ship that arrives last on-scene if the vessels are likely to arrive within short intervals from each other. Meanwhile, if there is a significant arrival interval among the ship, the first vessel to arrive on-scene can start the search. If each vessel in the scenario proceeded at 05:27 ZT to the last known position, the earliest vessel, ‘MV Expedition,’ would arrive at 07:24 ZT and the latest at 07:36 ZT. Therefore, the most appropriate CST would be 07:36 ZT.

Construct a Plot for the Search Area and Calculate the Datum Position

When establishing a geographic reference or datum position, it is crucial to consider various factors according to IAMSAR: reported position and time of SAR incident, time intervals between the incident and SAR facilities arrival, among other factors (2016). The datum position is found by observing drift with two components: leeway and total water current. In the given scenario, persons in the water have no leeway, and the life raft stability and speed vary with or without drogue. Therefore, the datum position will be calculated as follows:

Datum Position = drift speed x time to CST

A life raft with no drogue (same calculations as the current), and then add the effect of the wind (using the table in IAMSAR III);

A chart or a plotting sheet from KLP can plot the data. Once the plot has been drawn up, the Datum Position is calculated by:

Compile an Initial Plan for the Search Using the Four Responding Vessels

The total search time for the given scenario would be the difference between the last vessel arrival time, 10:36 UT, and then sunset at the SAR scene, 21:01UT. Therefore, the total search time would be 10 hours 25 minutes. A table in IAMSARIII provides useful information based on persons or objects in water: meteorological conditions and weather correctional factors. There is 10nm of visibility, and based on a worst-case scenario of persons in the water, the track spacing would be 0.6nm. When weather factors are taken into account, 21kn wind, the 0.6nm would then have to be multiplied by 0.5nm to give a final track spacing of 0.3nm. The initial plan is:

Datum position is 43°17.8’ S 075° 28’ W
Responding vessels Number are 4
CST is 10:36 UT
Time available is 10hours 25minutes (CST until local sunset)
Search area per ship = 0.3 x 10.4 x 13.6

= 42.4nm²

Total search area = 42.4 x 4

=169.7nm²

Search area radius = √169.7 ÷ 2

= 6.5nm

Diameter = 6.5 x 2 = 13nm
Number of tracks = 13 ÷ 0.3 = 43.3; therefore, estimated number is 44 tracks
Tracks to run parallel with drift approximately 010°T

The Action to be Taken by The OSC Should Any Vessel Sight an Object in The Water Which May be Relevant to the Search

Immediately

The OSC should immediately provide a sitrep to SMC and MRCC. Moreover, the OSC should create a rescue plan to determine the most appropriate rescue method and direct the best-equipped facilities like the hospital and the six small crafts. The various factor should be considered when developing the rescue plan: survivors’ details, intervening meteorological conditions, current sea conditions, and SAR personnel risks. The survivors’ details include their number, location, disposition, conditions, and medical considerations.

Subsequently

Upon completion of the search mission, the OSC should inform the other vessels of the termination of the mission. The OSC should then inform the SMC of the search results and pass the various information, including survivors’ physical conditions, details of destination ships with survivors, whether medical aid is needed, the distressed vessel’s condition, and whether it is hazardous to other navigating vessels (IAMSAR III, 2016).

State the Communications Required and Means of Communication

Between OSC and MRCC

Communication between OSC and MRCC is crucial for informed decision-making for a successful mission. Therefore, OSC ought to give regular SITREPs to SMC and MRCC to correlate and update the information. Email, fax, and telephones can be used if the search area has a strong internet connection. Moreover, coastal radio stations, land earth stations, and direct satellite communication can be used in extreme situations.

Between OSC and Involved Vessels

Communication between OSC and involved vessels is crucial in ensuring that the search plan is accordingly executed and navigation is safe for the rescuers. Devices and means of communication that can be used include MF radiotelephony, VHF AM, and VHF channels 16 and o6.

Between Vessels and Rescue Crafts

The rescue crafts are nearer to the life rafts and people in the water than the involved vessels. Therefore, they provide crucial information that can be used to execute the search mission effectively. The information is crucial to the SMC and MRCC to coordinate actions rescued from the land. The vessels and rescue crafts utilize VHF radiotelephony, SARTs, and AIS-SART (IAMSAR III, 2016).

Reference List

Andreassen, N., Borch, O.J., Kuznetsova, S. and Markov, S. (2018) ‘Emergency management in maritime mass rescue operations: the case of the High Arctic.’, in Sustainable Shipping in a Changing Arctic. Springer, Cham, pp. 359-381

IAMSAR III, 2016, ‘IAMSAR Volume III (Mobile Facilites) 3-42 Search Successful’, London: International Maritime Organisation.

IAMSAR III, 2016, ‘ IAMSAR Volume III (Mobile Facilites) 3-42 Search Successful’ London: International Maritime Organisation.

IAMSAR III, 2016, ‘ IAMSAR Volume III (Mobile Facilites) 3-6 Communications’, London: International Maritime Organisation.

IAMSAR III, 2016, ‘ IAMSAR Volume III (Mobile facilities) 3-1 Requirements of search and rescue operation’, London: International Maritime Organisation.

IAMSAR III, 2016, ‘IAMSAR Volume III (Mobile facilities) 3-2 On-Scene-Coordinator’, London: International Maritime Organisation.

IAMSAR III, 2016, ‘ IAMSAR Volume III (Mobile facilities) 3-3 On-Scene-Coordinator duties’, London: International Maritime Organisation.

IAMSAR III, 2016, ‘ IAMSAR volume III (Mobile facilities) Rescue function 2-18 Developing a rescue plan’, London: International Maritime Organisation.

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