Initiated in 2016 at the request of the Principality, the project of exchanges between the Monaco Maritime Police and the National Society of Sea Rescue (SNSM) of Bandol has just materialised.
The 3-day session in Bandol was held on November 23, 24 and 25, 2018. The rescue techniques were theoretically detailed during sessions facilitated by the French national trainers from the Bandol station. They were then put into active practice at sea aboard an intervention star. Man-at-sea or boat search exercises in distress, ship towing or taking care of the evacuation of wounded or sick victims on board ship or in the water have been carried out in real conditions.
The purpose of these exchanges is to familiarise the crews of the Monaco Maritime Police with the rescue techniques of the SNSM in the interest of improvement and standardisation. So as to facilitate the exchanges with the CROSSMed and the coordination with neighbouring SNSM stations in case joint operations.
As no SNSM-type entity exists in the Principality, it is the Monaco Maritime Police which, under cover of the CROSSMed, ensures the operations between Cape Martin and Cap Ferrat. Unlike the SNSM, it not only manages rescue operations but also handles all police operations in the maritime domain.
Two more sessions will be held in Bandol in the coming months.