The Gibraltar Port Authority hosted a Search and Rescue (SAR) training course this week for its own staff and other response agencies in Gibraltar as part of a collaborative initiative to enhance Gibraltar’s response to SAR incidents in BGTW.

Operations staff from the Port Authority, the Marine Units of the Royal Gibraltar Police, the Gibraltar Defence Police, HM Customs and the Queen’s Harbour Master attended the 5-day course at the new University’s campus, Europa Point with the SAROps training being provided by Mr Tim Parker, the head of SARtacs, an emergency response and search and rescue training and consultancy business based in the UK.

The bespoke training included SAR administration, mission planning and on-scene coordination. The course also provided daily syndicate exercises with the aim of teaching participants to effectively manage the response to maritime search and rescue incidents.

CEO and Captain of the Port, Commodore Bob Sanguinetti, said: “This course has provided an important training opportunity for the Port Authority staff, who are usually the first contact for  any safety of life at sea incidents and we are pleased that our colleagues in the other marine response agencies could also benefit from the training”.

The Minister of the Port, the Hon Paul Balban, said: “This SAR training course will further cement the close co-operation of the multiple essential maritime services we have at our disposal, and enhance the already professional response Gibraltar provides to ensure that safety of life at sea is maintained to the highest standard”.