Roly McKie, the IMRF’s IMO Representative, recently attended the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR), alongside the Search and Rescue Working Group, on behalf of the IMRF and its global membership.

The meetings, which occurred both online and at the IMO’s headquarters in London, took place in the first two weeks of June and was attended by most IMO member states and many technical specialists and experts from the navigational, communications and SAR communities. 

The IMO NCSR subcommittee meets annually to progress the detail of IMO work programmes and work packages, enabling IMO member states and relevant recognised bodies, including the IMRF as the only recognised SAR non-governmental organisation, to debate and discuss future technology and processes and procedures for global shipping.

IMRF Members can now access the full notes, provided by Roly, on what took place at the IMO meetings, including discussions surrounding the SOLAS Convention, the ICAO/IMO SAR Joint Working Group, and the impact of broadcasting MSI and SAR information using IMO Recognised Mobile Satellite Services. To access the full notes, please email the IMRF team at [email protected]

The IMRF attends IMO meetings like these on behalf of its members in its role as an NGO and its consultative status with shipping’s leading body. Member  input and feedback are vital to ensure the information and SAR opinion provided to these meetings are accurate, up-to-date and reflective of the IMRF’s membership. If you have any comments on ongoing SAR activities that relate to the IMRF’s position at the IMO, or have any inputs on the notes from the recent meetings, please contact Roly McKie at [email protected]

You can also find out more about the IMRF’s work at the IMO here: https://www.international-maritime-rescue.org/Pages/News/Category/imrf-the-imo