The Marine nationale prepares for the United Nations Ocean Conference

In order to train for the management of a crisis that could occur during a major event, the exercise scenario was as realistic as possible by taking place in June, in the middle of an international conference. It involved the majority of the actors who will be mobilized during this event. The scenario involved an airliner coming from Venise and bound for Nice with 106 people on board, colliding with a military helicopter, mobilized for the UNOC, with 10 people on board. Following the collision, the alert was given via several vectors (distress beacon, semaphore of the Marine nationale of Cap Ferrat, witnesses on land) so that the rescue chain could swing into action as quickly as possible to assist any survivors.

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT

This exercise aimed to implement the decision-making, coordination and intervention chain of the various resources deployed (5 aircraft, 19 nautical resources, 300 personnel) as well as the coordination and interface between maritime and land authorities for the care of victims and the injured. This exercise implemented the SAR MEDOCC [1] international cooperation agreement for maritime search and rescue (Search and Rescue Méditerranée Occidentale) between France, Italy and Spain. In addition to the services of the préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée, the préfecture des Alpes-Maritimes and the Principauté de Monaco and their respective operational centers, this major exercise mobilized the resources of the French and Monegasque administrations [2], the Société nationale de sauvetage en mer (SNSM) as well as the Italian armée de l'Air and Guardia Costiera. The exercise pursued four main objectives: to implement the decision-making, coordination and intervention chain of the various services and resources deployed (air and nautical) within the framework of search and rescue at sea, in an international context involving the Principauté de Monaco; to test the coordination and interface with the préfecture des Alpes-Maritimes, the Principauté de Monaco and their various land services for the care of victims and the injured on land; to train teams for the occurrence of a major crisis during a major international event such as the UNOC; to implement the SAR MEDOCC tripartite international agreement and to maintain the interoperability of the operational centers and resources of the partner countries. From the reception of the alert triggering the maritime search and rescue, through the care of shipwreck survivors in advanced medical posts at sea and on land, to the reception of victims in an appropriate medical facility, the entire rescue chain and its actors were tested in a context of international cooperation. This multilateral training and mutual understanding are key factors for operational effectiveness in support of large-scale maritime rescue in view of the UNOC. At the end of the exercise, the lessons learned will help increase interoperability between the actors. The authorities praised the mobilization and expertise of the various resources and welcomed the success of SAMAR MED 25. •

[1] The SAR MEDDOC agreement is a tripartite cooperation agreement between France, Italy and Spain, signed in 1972 and aiming to cooperate and pool resources in the event of a search and rescue operation in the western Mediterranean. [2] Marine nationale, Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Gendarmeries maritime et départementale, Sécurité civile, Douane, Affaires maritimes, CROSS MED, SCMM MED, SAMU 06, SDIS 06, DIPN 06, DPMA/DAM/ Pompiers Monaco, etc.