Time to Rescue for Different Paths to Survival Following a Marine Incident

Abstract

The time required for rescue is a critical factor for surviving a marine incident. The regulatory framework, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Polar Code, utilizes a risk-based approach. It states that the vessel operators are to define the time required for rescue but never less than 5 days. Based on experience from the classification society DNV GL, utilization of the minimum requirement of five days is the current industry standard when conducting risk assessments. The dimensioning of search and rescue resources is a national issue. There are no international requirements defining the adequacy of the resources for different geographical areas. The remoteness and lack of resources present within the IMO Polar Code area imposes a significant challenge for mariners in distress. The time required for rescue is highly dependent on multiple variables. Based on this study, the number of persons to be rescued, the number and type of evacuation platforms and the distance each evacuation platform must travel significantly impacts the time required for rescue. In addition, the meteorological and oceanographical (metocean) conditions play a significant role when determining the efficiency of a search and rescue operation.

Global development in the Arctic: international cooperation for the future

“…The Polar Code requirement for five days' survival while the rescue means are on their way is generally realistic. However, in some cases, the time to rescue may even exceed five days (Solberg et al, 2020) should there be a huge number of survivors to attend to. It may be advisable for the coastal nations to issue a disclaimer note, clarifying the limitations in rescue capabilities and the estimated rescue time for ships sailing in polar regions.…”

Flying against the clock – risk management and resilience in Arctic search and rescue and casualty evacuation flights

“…6 The Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic, concluded at Nuuk in 2011, describes jurisdictional and administrative arrangements for search and rescue operations. In practice, the resources available in the Arctic may be minimal (See for example Birkland et al 2019;Solberg et al 2020). 7 For an overview of Arctic weather effects on flying, see FAA (1975 Ch 14) and NATO (2007 Ch 13).…”

Distributed sensemaking in network risk analysis

“…Through experiments, researchers have questioned the feasibility of some of the recommendations, which has placed doubt on the code's practical usefulness. For example, emergency equipment should sustain life for 6 days, which has proved hard when carrying out experiments with standard safety equipment (Gudmestad & Solberg, 2019; Solberg et al., 2020). However, many recommendations support safety on board ships that operate above the Arctic Circle and remind operators that safety is a significant concern in the region.…”

“…Hence, decisionmakers are limited in making sense of the hazards they face, resulting in critical events. For example, when the Maxim Gorki hit an iceberg in 1989 with 953 passengers and crew on board, as the ship took on water and was partially submerged, people had to be evacuated (Ikonen, 2017; Solberg et al., 2020). Reports from the incident reveal difficulties in coordinating the Norwegian and Russian rescue forces and aircraft, as the units communicated in different languages and reported to different coordinators through different channels.…”