The Monrovia Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Center Inaugurated
On April 23, 2009, the Monrovia Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRMRCC) was inaugurated by Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Inaugurating the facility yesterday at the Coast Guard Base on Bushrod Island, the IMO Secretary General said “Even today when all advances in marine technology and in the development of training and qualification standards of seafarers have made ships safer than ever before, seafaring is still a challenging and sometimes dangerous occupation”.
Mr. Mitropoulos said, “However much we try to guard against them accidents can and do occasionally happen and when they do, the sea can suddenly become a very lonely, isolated and, at times, deadly workplace.”
He said this is why the establishment of a comprehensive, effective and worldwide system for maritime search and rescue has long been an important objective for the entire maritime community and, in particular, for IMO, as the United Nations Agency with prime the responsibility for the safety of life at sea.
The IMO official said that a regional approach to the provision of search and rescue services in the western, southern and eastern parts of Africa was first proposed at the IMO conference on Search and Rescue(SAR) and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) held in Florence, Italy in October 2000.
This concept was subsequently endorsed by IMO’s sub-committee on Radio Communication, Search and Rescue and its parent body, the Maritime Safety Committee.
Making remarks at the inauguration ceremony, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Maritime Affairs, Mr. Binyah Kesselly, said Liberia’s Maritime Program is proud to be in the vanguard of efforts by the West Africa Sub-region to cooperate in a meaningful way in Maritime Search and Rescue, saying “this is truly a dream come true”. Commissioner Kesselly said with its strategic location, Liberia today joins Search and Rescue Centers in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, which are currently operating in Africa.
The Maritime Commissioner said “this significant achievement places Liberia in a ready position to meet up to the challenges posed by the growing maritime trade in our sub-regional waters, the need to protect the marine environment and ensure the safety and security of all those using our respective coastal waters”.
Also speaking at the program, representatives from the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea and Sierra Leone expressed happiness for the strong collaboration between Liberia and their respective countries in ensuring safety at sea. They promised to further enhance such cooperation in the future for the betterment of Liberia and their respective countries.
The newly inaugurated Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Center is expected to serve Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
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