Cristina Hodgson
THE Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (CCS) in Andalucia, who’s primary mission is to rescue people at sea, coordinated the rescue, assistance or search of 5,801 people last year along the more than 1,000 kilometres of Andalucian coastline.
CCS is responsible for the coordination and execution of search, rescue and pollution control operations in the geographical area assigned to each of them and in 2022 the rescue centres in Andalucia, located in Huelva, Cadiz, Tarifa, Algeciras and Almeria, completed a total of 1496 rescue missions in which the largest number of incidents were related to recreational boating.
Specifically, 467 recreational vessels, 153 merchant ships and 53 fishing vessels were involved in maritime incidents.
Tragically, 2022 saw a total of 41 people die or disappear in the area, six of them in activities unrelated to boating incidents, such as people falling from the coast, surfing, windsurfing or scuba diving.
The maritime and aerial resources of the Coordination Centres, comprise of two helicopters, three rescue vessels, a Maritime Rescue vessel and eleven rapid intervention vessels, with the capacity to transport passengers and cargo at high speed.
The Maritime Rescue is a public business entity, dependent on the Ministry of Public Works, which has a team integrated by more than 1.500 workers and provides a superior service 365 days per year and 24 hours per day, at the ready to respond to all emergencies that may arise at sea.
Its mission is to ensure the safe navigation in Spanish waters of any type of vessel, whether merchant, fishing or recreational under any flag and to assist citizens of all nationalities who practice nautical and sporting activities or who are in danger for other reasons, as in the case of irregular immigration by sea.
Spain has one of the most advanced Maritime Rescue services in the world.
A total of 39,594 people – an average of 108 per day – in 7,393 maritime actions were attended throughout the Spanish search and rescue area in 2022.
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