Presented by: NZ/US/Italy/Korea/China
Search and Rescue Coordination in the
Ross Sea Region
Introduction
Between 2004 and 2016, Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) has either coordinated or
assisted with 21 Search and Rescue (SAR) operations in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica, within the
broader region for which New Zealand has Search and Rescue coordination responsibility1. 371 lives have
been assisted and 33 lives lost.
Annually Antarctica New Zealand and the United States Antarctic Program work together to maintain a high
level of safety support to operations through the Joint Antarctic Search and Rescue Team (JASART).
COMNAP has long promoted the concept of developing Antarctic ‘best practice” standards and collaborative
training across national Antarctic programmes. The JASART model has embodied the spirit of COMNAP
through the engagement of two programmes working to create international standards in Search and Rescue.
In the course of coordinating SAR operations, RCCNZ has sought and received assistance from:
 National Antarctic Programmes operating in the Ross Sea Region; namely Antarctica New Zealand,
the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), the Italian Antarctic Programme (ENEA) and the
Korean Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), and
 Non-Government Organisations (NGO) such as the International Association of Antarctica Tour
Operators (IAATO), and the New Zealand and international fishing fleets.
This collaborative approach to SAR in the Ross Sea Region is key to the successful coordination of SAR
operations and a testament to the international cooperation between national programs, NGOs and Rescue
Coordination Centres in the very best spirit of the Antarctic Treaty.
New Zealand Search and Rescue Region (NZSRR) of Antarctica2
The entire region for which New Zealand has Search and Rescue coordination responsibility spans an area of
over 9 million square nautical miles, or 30 million square kilometres. The Antarctic portion of this,
effectively the Ross Sea region, is around 1.5 million square nautical miles, or 5 million square kilometres.
(Figure 1)
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The New Zealand Search and Rescue Region (NZSRR) (a combined International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) region) includes all that area bounded
on the West by meridian 163°E, on the east by meridian 131°W, extending south to the South Pole and
bounded on the north by a line joining 25° 00’S 163° 00’E, 25° 00’S 180° 00’W, 05° 00’S 171° 00’W, 05°
00’S 157° 00’W, 30° 00’S 157° 00’W, 30° 00’S 131° 00’W.
2
Search and Rescue Regions have no relationship to territorial boundaries, as stated in the two international
conventions relating to Search and Rescue:
The International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979, 2.1.7 "The delimitation of search and
rescue regions is not related to and shall not prejudice the delimitation of any boundary between States."
Annex 12 to the International Convention on International Civil Aviation – Search and Rescue. 2.2 Search
and rescue regions Note 2. – "The delineation of search and rescue regions is determined on the basis of
technical and operational considerations and is not related to the delineation of boundaries between States."
There have been a variety of activities requiring SAR coordination in the Ross Sea region since 2004. Of the
21 SAR incidents, 20 were marine and one was aviation. Of these, eight required assistance to whaling or
whaling protest vessels; seven to fishing vessels; five to other non-governmental activities and one to
national programme activities. (Figure 2)
Figure 1 –NZSRR of Antarctica
Whaling/Protest Fleet
Fishing Fleet
Other NGO
Aviation
Figure 2 – Antarctic SAR Operations within the NZSRR
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SAR Response Preparation and Planning
RCCNZ
SAR Arrangements
Recognising the importance of SAR cooperation across regions, New Zealand has signed Arrangements with
Australia and Chile, who share common SRR boundaries with New Zealand, for the coordination of SAR
services.
Although not sharing a SRR boundary, New Zealand and Korea have an Arrangement for cooperation on
matters related to Maritime Incident Response and SAR.
These Arrangements are inclusive of, but not limited to SAR in the Antarctic.
Antarctic SAR Response Plan
A product of the close working relationship between RCCNZ, the National Antarctic Programmes and
various government and non-government organisations is the RCCNZ Antarctic SAR Response Plan,
introduced in 2008 and updated annually. The plan defines the roles, the contribution and provides 24-hour
contact details for agencies (both government and non-government) that may be asked to assist in a SAR
operation. Guidance on response options is provided to assist SAR Coordinators. Lessons identified and
learned from debriefs and reviews of SAR operations have influenced this guidance and will continue to do
so.
Key Relationships (Figure 3)
Key relationships for RCCNZ include:
 The United States Antarctic Program (in Christchurch and at McMurdo Station)
 Antarctica New Zealand (in Christchurch and at Scott Base)
 The National Antarctic Programmes of Italy and Korea
 The New Zealand Defence Force
 IAATO, and their tourist vessels which operate in the Ross Sea every year
 The fishing fleets
 Adjacent RCCs
Figure 3 – Key Relationships
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Search and Rescue Categories
For any search and rescue operation (SAROP) there will be one coordinating authority. Within the Antarctic
Treaty Area (ATA) of the New Zealand Search and Rescue Region (NZSRR) the coordinating authority will
be either RCCNZ or a National Antarctic Programme (NAP). To help clarify which agency will typically
coordinate a SAR operation and ensure the approach to SAR coordination is consistent throughout the
NZSRR, each SAR operation is defined as either a Category I or Category II.
CAT I SAROP - A SAROP coordinated at the local level.
In the case of Antarctica the local area is defined as the area of operation of each Antarctic Programme.
Coordination of the incident and command of assets remains at the local level and is within the capability of
the National Antarctic Programme.
Typically, CAT I SAROPs would be:
 Any SAR response to a National Antarctic Programme supported activity. This would include a
response to incidents involving individuals, vehicles, vessels and aircraft on intra-continental flights.
CAT II SAROP - A SAROP coordinated by RCCNZ.
Typically, in the case of Antarctica CAT II SAROPs would be:
 Responses associated with inter-continental aircraft missing or in distress
 Off-shore marine operations
 Alerts from satellite emergency beacons (EPIRB/ELT/PLB) and other satellite emergency devices
 Response to a SAR or medical request from a National Antarctic Programme or Non-Government
Organisation (NGO).
The examples provided for CAT I and CAT II SAROPs are indicative only. SAR in the ATA is a
collaborative effort. Whenever either RCCNZ or a NAP is in doubt as to who is best able to coordinate a
particular operation, contact between the agencies should be initiated.
Regardless of which agency is coordinating, the other should be available to provide advice and assistance as
appropriate.
National Antarctic Programmes
Within the Ross Sea Region there are a number of examples of NAPs working closely together in the areas
of Search and Rescue. Antarctica New Zealand and the United States Antarctic Programme operate an
integrated or Joint Antarctic Search and Rescue Team (JASART) from Ross Island. JASART supports and
responds to local and deep field emergencies for both programmes across the summer and winter operational
periods. In the past JASART have provided resources to events outside of NAP activities. This cooperative
arrangement has existed for more than thirty years and coordinated annually between the two programmes.
Annual pre-season training for Search and Rescue (SAR) is coordinated in New Zealand with team members
from the United States Antarctic Programme and Antarctica New Zealand. This training forum provides an
opportunity to establish a shared understanding and best practice model of SAR between the NAPs. This
model has been shared and adopted by other NAPs.
Recently in the 2015/16 season Antarctica New Zealand extended the opportunity to engage other NAPs and
worked with the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) and the Polar Research Institute of
China (PRIC) to provide an overview and practical experience of the Search and Rescue model. CAA and
PRIC team members attended the JASART pre deployment training programme in the Southern Alps of New
Zealand and reviewed links to the field operation and SAR training at Scott Base Antarctica.
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SAR Resources
Sea
Statistically, in the marine environment the timeliest SAR responses have been provided by vessels of
opportunity, both from the casualty vessel’s own fleet and others nearby. The key is alerting these vessels in
time to be in a position to save lives.
Fishing, tourism, research and national programme logistics vessels operate in the Ross Sea from December
until late February. While these vessels are a risk to plan for, they are also a resource to harness during SAR
operations.
The primary vessels used by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) for Antarctic/sub-Antarctic SAR
operations are the two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV). These ships are Lloyds registered civilian
specification ships with ice classification 1C. Note, these ships have limited ice strength capabilities and are
not ice-breakers.
Air
For long-range, New Zealand-based air SAR support the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) operates
various aviation platforms and would typically be the first point of contact for RCCNZ if aviation support
was required.
In the event that RNZAF was either unable to respond or assessed as not the most appropriate aviation
resource, RCCNZ would investigate other options with the National Antarctic Programmes. For example,
the most appropriate aviation resources for the Twin Otter SAR operation in 2013 were sourced from the air
fleets that were in Antarctica.
Land
Land SAR responses from Scott Base and the McMurdo Stations are supported through the assets and
resources of the United States Antarctic Programme and Antarctica New Zealand. Local and field SAR
operations are supported through activation of the Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) at McMurdo
Station and Scott Base. Shared resources and assets are assigned by the EOC which is made up of members
of both NAPs.
Horizon Scan - What does the future hold?
Whether for science, commercial or tourism, there appears to be no indication in the short term that there
will be either a reduction in the number of people visiting Antarctica or the potential need for SAR response.
Challenges
The challenges that exist today will likely continue into the future:
Environment- Reduces life expectancy, the availability of appropriate SAR resources and the speed of
response.
DistancesReduces the probability of successful SAR operations by increasing typical response times.
DurationEnvironment and Distance typically increase the length of time required to resolve SAR
operations in the Antarctic.
CapabilityEnvironment in particular can limit the pool of available appropriate SAR resources. Some
SAR responses in the Ross Sea Region have required vessels with significant ice-breaking
capability, yet of the vessels within range to assist only a very small number had the
necessary capability.
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Preparation
While it cannot totally eliminate the challenges, thorough preparation by those potentially requiring SAR
response and those providing the response can significantly increase the probability of a successful outcome.
Emergency management in New Zealand subscribes to the principle of the “Four R’s”; Reduction,
Readiness, Response and Recovery. (Figure 4)
Figure 4 – The “Four R’s” of emergency management
To best apply the Reduction and Readiness stages to preparation, visitors to the Antarctic area should have
plans that focus on reducing the need for external assistance or SAR response, then in the unlikely event a
SAR response is required these plans should ensure that survivors are ready to give themselves the best
chance of being rescued (able to survive for an extended period of time and be easily located by searchers).
For SAR Coordinators and SAR Responders, having plans that take into account the unique challenges of
responding to SAR incidents in the Antarctic, identifying and applying lessons learned from previous
experiences, and establishing and maintaining close relationships with those organisations that may be asked
to assist in SAR operations all contribute to maintaining a high state of readiness when called upon to
respond to SAR incidents.
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