Author: kevin

On 8 April, 2019, at 00:54 UTC, Saudi Arabian Mission Control Center received a SIT 915 MEOSAR message from the Spanish MCC as an initial distress signal detected from a 406 MHz EPIRB with coordinates around 91 Nautical miles west of Jizan port in Saudi Arabia.

The distress signal was broadcast from a Panama-flagged Cargo vessel.

A distress alert message with the location was immediately sent to Jeddah Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (JMRCC) who conducted checks and analysis of the provided coordinates and information.

As per SAR procedures and rules, the Saudi Border Guard and the Royal Saudi Naval Forces engaged a search and rescue operation.

31 sailors were evacuated from the ship as a fire broke out, grew, and the vessel continued burning in international waters in the Red Sea.

There were no casualties; the entire crew was rescued safely, and the Saudi Border Guards and Royal Saudi Naval Forces provided the required assistance; medical care, and the necessary hospitality.

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The 2019 Task Group Meeting on Second-Generation Beacons (SGBs) and SGB/FGB ELT(DT)s was held in Montréal, Canada from 8 to 12 April 2019.

Mr. Jesse Reich (USA) chaired the meeting.

67 delegates from 12 Cospas-Sarsat Participants, 1 Observer Organization and the Secretariat took part in the meeting.

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April 6 (4/06) was 406 Day – a national campaign run by NOAA to spread awareness of the importance of emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) that broadcast their emergency signals on the protected band, 406 MHz.

EPIRBS are used for boating safety, and personal locator beacons (PLBs) are also used on boats, as well as in a variety of remote outdoor activities. For aviation, emergency locator transmitter (ELT) beacons are used.

In 2018, the Eighth Coast Guard District responded to over 200 distress signals from beacons aboard aircraft and boats in the USA.

This capability forms part of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme, an international co-operative programme that supports search and rescue worldwide through a satellite-aided communication system.

Beacons that are type-approved by Cospas-Sarsat function with their LEOSAR, GEOSAR, and now MEOSAR systems of satellites and the signals are relayed to the rescue infrastructure available to all States on a non-discriminatory basis.

Beacons that are in the Cospas-Sarsat System are purchased and used on a subscription-free basis.

It is important to register your beacon and keep these details up to date to enable the rescuers using the System to respond more efficiently to any alert.

406 Day encourages aviators, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts to update their beacon registration, check their battery expiration date, and self-test their beacons to make sure they are working perfectly.

It is also an opportunity to celebrate the 43,000+ lives saved worldwide since the mid-1980s by using emergency distress 406 MHz beacon signals and the Cospas-Sarsat System.

For evidence of the effectiveness of beacons check out SurvivorClub, which provides real-life testimonies shared by people of all ages and from all walks of life, who thanks to their beacon, have lived to tell the tale.

Read more here:
https://www.workboat.com/news/government/epirbs-awareness-day-april-6/
https://www.acrartex.com/stories   
https://www.powerboat-world.com/news/216076/Benefits-of-EPIRBs-and-Personal-Locator-Beacons 
http://406.org 

The new Cospas-Sarsat MEOSAR system gave about an hour advantage in this case over LEOSAR.

The two fishermen were fishing 60 km offshore in New South Wales and had already hooked one shark that was brought onboard.

Late in the afternoon they hooked another shark, but when they brought it on board the combined weight of the two caused the stern to tip and take on water.

The winch operator aboard the rescue helicopter said that the men were well equipped to facilitate a rescue, both wearing lifejackets.

They activated their 406 EPIRB and an emergency flare to alert authorities, and when rescuers arrived, the first thing they saw was the flare.

The article calls it a GPS emergency beacon but the beacon didn’t have a global navigation satellite system receiver, and was not able to transmit an encoded location.

The fishermen were being winched out of the water as the first LEOSAR detection was received.

“They were extremely grateful to be winched aboard, and in good spirits too” said the winch operator.

The fishermen’s boat was left out at sea, with the outline of one of the sharks still visible as the bow dipped below the water’s surface.

Watch video of the rescue and read more here:
https://www.9news.com.au/national/news-nsw-fishermen-rescued-after-shark-sinks-boat/aec756f8-fe01-4fb5-a9fa-26bf37104fab 

The carriage of float-free EPIRBs was made mandatory for commercial fishing vessels between 7.5m and 24m that operate outside enclosed waters in New Zealand, on January 1 2019.

Friday morning, three crew were rescued off the Chatham Islands in New Zealand from a sinking crayfish boat thanks to a float-free 406 EPIRB that had only recently been installed.

“The only way we knew they were in difficulty was the alert from the EPIRB distress beacon. It’s vital to have one on board,” a senior search and rescue officer from the NZRCC said.

In this case the float-free capability of the beacon was essential as the skipper had attempted to manually retrieve the beacon to activate it without success. The float-free housing of the beacon deployed automatically, allowing it to float to the surface.

Nearby boats were alerted by the rescue coordination centre and tuned into the VHF network to assist.

A fishing boat was the first on the scene and picked up the stricken crew less than 1.5 hours after the NZRCC had received the alert and delivered them safely to land where they were treated for hypothermia, cuts and bruises.

Read more here:
https://www.odt.co.nz/slideshow-section/general/emergency-beacon-saves-lives-crew  
and
https://www.gme.net.au/2019/gme-float-free-epirb-instrumental-in-successful-rescue-of-commercial-fisherman-1.aspx 

The 61st Session of the Cospas-Sarsat Council was held in Montréal, Canada from 4 to 7 February 2019. Mr. Michael Donald (Canada) chaired the meeting.

116 delegates representing 29 Cospas-Sarsat Participants, one Non-Participant participating as an observer, three Observer Organizations, and the Secretariat took part in the meeting. 

CSC-61-OPN Group Photo