Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2228. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the marine search and rescue region will be widened beyond its limits on the eastern shore of the Inishowen Peninsula and further out around County Donegal to enable the Coast Guard co-ordination centre at Malin Head to more effectively co-ordinate the local response to marine emergencies in the region. [33852/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing the 1979 Search and Rescue Convention, the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee divided the world's oceans into 13 search and rescue areas, in each of which the countries concerned have delimited search and rescue regions (SRR) for which they are responsible. The limits of the Irish Maritime Search and Rescue Region (IMSRR) correspond with those of the Irish Flight Information Region (FIR) and of Ireland's Aeronautical SAR Region - approximately 200 miles off the West Coast, 30 miles off the South Coast and dividing the Irish Sea. The whole process of international Search and Rescue is based on close co-operation between the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the IMO.
On foot of being aligned to the FIR some areas of the delineation are close to the Donegal coast. Responsibility for coordination of incidents occurring proximate to the North West but falling within the UK SRR are often passed to the Coast Guard Coordination Centre at Malin by the UK Coastguards Operations Centre at Belfast. This transfer is enabled by prompt and efficient cooperation between Coast Guard operational staff and their equivalents in the UK Coastguard, following arrangements prescribed in an MOU between the two bodies. At this time there is no consideration being given to extending the limits of the IMSRR as this would separate the alignment with the Ireland's aeronautical zones. Re-alignment may only take place with the mutual agreement of all States affected.
