Search and Rescue

The objective of the Swedish Maritime Administration is to ensure search and rescue of people in distress at sea and emergency transportation of patients from ships at sea. Maritime Search and Rescue including medical evacuation from ships shall be performed on 24-hour basis, within areas specified in the Civil Protection Act.

SAR operations can commonly be divided into three functions, SAR-Management, Mission Co-Ordination and Mobile Facilities.

SAR-Management

SAR Management has overall responsibility for the Swedish SAR-organization. It deals with policy-related issues, organizes co-operation with other Swedish organizations involved with Rescue Service, participates in international activities such as exercises, organizes international co-operation and is responsible for drawing up agreements, both national and international, involving SAR organization. SAR Management also supervises the JRCC (Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre) and evaluates SAR-missions of interest, in accordance with the quality assurance plan of the Swedish Maritime Administration.

Mission Co-Ordination

A Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre, JRCC, is responsible for Mission Co-Ordination. The Swedish JRCC, Sweden Rescue, is located in Gothenburg together with the Swedish Coastguard and the Defence Forces Navy Control.

Mobile Facilities

Mobile Facilities includes the operational tasks performed by the units within the SAR mission as a whole.

The coastline has been divided into fifteen SAR Areas. It is the duty of each Traffic Area Director to ensure that there are adequate SRUs within their area to fulfil the above-mentioned SAR objective in Sweden. The SRUs must also be manned with crews which have an adequate level of competence and training.

To accomplish this objective, a high degree of co-operation between various organizations involved in rescue services must be achieved in order to make best use of all available rescue units, even those primarily designated for other tasks. The Swedish Civil Protection Act supports and ensures this co-operation between organizations.