An annual exercise on search and rescue of people in distress at sea were held in the water area of the seaport of Kaliningrad with the participation of units of the FSUE “Rosmorport” North-Western Basin Branch Kaliningrad Department.

The forces and means of the rescue units participating in the exercise were coordinated by the marine rescue coordination center of the FSBI “AMP of the Baltic Sea” branch in the seaport of Kaliningrad.

Along with the Kaliningrad Department of the North-Western Basin Branch, coastal, aviation and surface forces of the Baltic Fleet units, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation Border Department for the Kaliningrad Region, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia Main Directorate for the Kaliningrad Region, the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Morspassluzhba” Kaliningrad Branch, the Territorial Center of Disaster Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Kaliningrad Region took part in the exercise.

The Kaliningrad Department provided the Fortuna pilot boat, as well as the shift of operators of the control center for sea areas A1 and A2 GMDSS of the Communications and Electric Navigation Service of the Kaliningrad Department for the exercise.

According to the legend of the exercise, the aim was to search and rescue the crew of the Spirit fish trawler in distress. The crew abandoned the vessel after it went down following a collision with an unknown object.

During the exercise, the actions of units, forces and means of search and rescue services during the search and rescue of people in distress at sea in search and rescue area of the Russian zone of responsibility on the Baltic Sea.

The operators of the GMDSS control center performed procedures for handling distress calls, as well as carried out operational communication between vessels and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center during the search and rescue operation.

The crew of the Fortuna boat had the task to proceed to a given point, establish communication with the Kaliningrad Maritime Rescue Coordination Center and the coordinator at the search site, and further to search for people by passing parallel tacks as part of a group of vessels and boats.

Within fifteen minutes from the start of the search, the crew of the Fortuna boat managed to find a life raft on the water with people in distress who were then successfully lifted aboard the vessel and given first aid there.

At the end of the exercises, the overhead personnel noted the coherence and professionalism of all emergency services participating in the exercise. All goals of the exercise were successfully achieved.