5.1 SAR services throughout the world depend on
ships at sea to assist persons in distress. It is impossible to arrange
SAR services that depend totally upon dedicated shore-based rescue
units to provide timely assistance to all persons in distress at sea.
Shipmasters have certain duties that must be carried out in order
to provide for safety of life at sea, preserve the integrity of global
SAR services of which they are part, and to comply with humanitarian
and legal obligations. In this regard, shipmasters should:
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.1 understand and heed obligations under international
law to assist persons in distress at sea (such assistance should always
be carried out without regard to the nationality or status of the
persons in distress, or to the circumstances in which they are found);
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.2 do everything possible, within the capabilities
and limitations of the ship, to treat the survivors humanely and to
meet their immediate needs;
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.3 carry out SAR duties in accordance with the
provisions of Volume III of the IAMSAR Manual;
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.4 in a case where the RCC responsible for the
area where the survivors are recovered cannot be contacted, attempt
to contact another RCC, or if that is impractical, any other Government
authority that may be able to assist, while recognizing that responsibility
still rests with the RCC of the area in which the survivors are recovered;
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.5 keep the RCC informed about conditions, assistance
needed, and actions taken or planned for the survivors (see paragraph
6.10 regarding other information the RCC may wish to obtain);
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.6 seek to ensure that survivors are not disembarked
to a place where their safety would be further jeopardized; and
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.7 comply with any relevant requirements of the
Government responsible for the SAR region where the survivors were
recovered, or of another responding coastal State, and seek additional
guidance from those authorities where difficulties arise in complying
with such requirements.
5.2 In order to more effectively contribute to
safety of life at sea, ships are urged to participate in ship reporting
systems established for the purpose of facilitating SAR operations.