Building a maritime search and rescue Coordination and Humanitarian Support Model within ASEAN

To enhance maritime search and rescue capabilities, close cooperation between Vietnam and ASEAN countries is essential.

Vietnam's Maritime Rescue Force is Limited

This was the assessment of Mr. Pham Cong Duc, Deputy Head of the Rescue Coordination Department of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (Vietnam MRCC), at the workshop “ASEAN Legal Framework for Maritime Cooperation - Solutions for Ensuring Peace and Stability in the Region” in the post-Covid-19 context.

Collaborative maritime search and rescue operations between Vietnam and ASEAN countries currently face many limitations.

Specifically, Mr. Duc stated that the current resources, personnel, and equipment of the Vietnam MRCC are insufficient, affecting the overall efficiency of maritime search and rescue operations and the conduct of international cooperation in distant and international waters.

"The specialized search and rescue vessels are only equipped to operate in wave conditions of level 8 or lower. The vessels are over 15 years old, with an operational range limited to about 250-350 nautical miles," Mr. Duc emphasized. He added that search and rescue missions in distant sea areas or during storms, tropical depressions, and strong monsoons are limited by capacity. In areas like the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, and Vietnam's offshore islands, the rescue force's accessibility remains limited.

Regarding search and rescue coordination between Vietnam and ASEAN member countries, the Vietnam MRCC representative noted that cooperation remains limited in information sharing. In several joint operations, such as the search for flight MH370 or responding to and recovering from Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, ASEAN's role was not prominently demonstrated.

Not only Vietnam but also ASEAN members need close cooperation to improve search and rescue efficiency.

Enhancing Search and Rescue Capabilities with ASEAN Cooperation

To address these existing limitations, various measures have been implemented in Vietnam's search and rescue efforts, such as the "four on-site" principle and coordination between the MRCC and maritime law enforcement agencies like the Coast Guard and Border Guard.

It is known that the Vietnam MRCC is currently undertaking procedures to receive specialized equipment from the non-refundable ODA aid of the Japanese government as scheduled. Additionally, new project proposals utilizing non-refundable aid from the Japanese government are being prepared.

Vietnam has been an official member of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR 79) since 2007. Vietnam also participates in the SOLAS 1974 Convention, endorsed the ASEAN Declaration on Cooperation in Maritime Search and Rescue, and signed an Agreement with the Republic of the Philippines on cooperation in search and rescue.

The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre is designated by the Government as the focal point for international coordination and directly conducts search and rescue operations with regional and global countries.

To achieve effective search and rescue operations, Mr Duc suggests that Vietnam needs to continue expanding cooperation with ASEAN countries, build a coordinated humanitarian support and disaster relief, search and rescue electronic model, and a database system for search and rescue activities.

Vietnam also needs to strengthen professional information exchange by organizing workshops, conferences, and joint international search and rescue drills.

ASEAN countries need to continue improving the regional disaster response mechanism by enhancing the capacity of ASEAN-ERAT in terms of personnel, expertise, equipment, and coordination capabilities./.