MEOSAR is a major effort for the Coast Guard as it brings new multi-mission platforms and sensors online. But while SAR is a major consideration in those changes, it is not their only mission.
“But once we know what sensors will be used, we try to incorporate them within SAROPS and sensor operator training to include SAR,” he added. “We have a couple of new things coming. Surface search radars [SSRs] are now on our fixed-wing aircraft. Before, we only had standard weather radar, but the SSR can detect a lot of things. The disadvantage is it can’t identify what it detects. If there aren’t a lot of objects in the area, we’ll probably find the individual in distress pretty quickly, but if there is any kind of rough seas and weather, the SSR doesn’t work so well.
But increasing human activity in the Arctic – from natural resource exploitation to cargo transport to cruise and recreational vessels to military patrols and exercises – eventually is likely to make that area one of the 21st century’s top challenges for the Coast Guard. The scale of the problem is heightened by a lack of infrastructure, helicopters capable of operating in extreme cold, or heavy icebreakers – ships that can force their way through 21-foot-thick sheets of ridged winter ice, if necessary, to rescue crews from ships trapped in the ice.
“We also have some old systems that are still doing a great job. One is AMVER – the Atlantic Merchant Vessel Emergency Reporting System [became operational] in 1958, then [it] became the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue system. It is hosted by the USCG, sanctioned by the International Maritime Organization, and open to all ships and flags to voluntarily provide their sailing information, periodic position updates, etc. So if there is a problem in the middle of the ocean, we can query our computer to find what vessels are in the area and contact them directly to see if they can respond. That is a huge force multiplier and gets assets on site much more quickly than if we had to do everything from shore.”
Rick Button, chief of the Office of Search and Rescue’s Coordination Division, said the Coast Guard takes a systemic approach to SAR.
“There is an international system the U.S. plugs into, a U.S. system the Coast Guard plugs into, state SAR coordinators, etc. We use all available means to render assistance, including military resources, based on our budget, resources, and requirements,” he said. “For example, the few SAR cases we have in the Arctic are challenging, but they’re even more challenging in the Pacific, so it is a matter of putting the resources we have where they can do the most good.
“The number of ships, boats, and planes we have to meet our overall SAR mission ebbs and flows, but we can always meet the requirement. The goal of SAROPS is to take the ‘search’ out of search and rescue, so if we have major SAR cases, we can more effectively know where to search. The hardware we use can change based on a lot of concerns, but the requirement remains and we maintain what we need to handle that.”
Petty Officer 1st Class Antonio Lockhart, watchstander at Coast Guard 7th District Command Center, updates search information regarding the missing cargo ship El Faro at the district’s Command Center in Miami, Oct. 3, 2015. Watchstanders were working around the clock to gather the latest information for the operators searching. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jon-Paul Rios
But increasing human activity in the Arctic – from natural resource exploitation to cargo transport to cruise and recreational vessels to military patrols and exercises – eventually is likely to make that area one of the 21st century’s top challenges for the Coast Guard. The scale of the problem is heightened by a lack of infrastructure, helicopters capable of operating in extreme cold, or heavy icebreakers – ships that can force their way through 21-foot-thick sheets of ridged winter ice, if necessary, to rescue crews from ships trapped in the ice.
Although the only U.S. agency with an ice breaking mission, the Coast Guard has only two heavy icebreakers, both more than 40 years old and one on inactive status. The one operational ship – the Polar Star – also does double duty, spending Northern Hemisphere winters in the Arctic and Southern Hemisphere winters in the Antarctic. Only Russia, with about a half-dozen nuclear-powered heavy icebreakers, has a year-round operational Arctic fleet.
“That’s the issue – the mission is evolving based on the amount of increased human activity in the Arctic. We have what we need now, but as more activity moves up there, we don’t have the assets to get in there year-round. Right now, only the Russians can do that,” noted Cmdr. Eric Peace, chief of the Mobility and Ice Operations Division, adding activity has been growing, albeit more slowly than some have predicted. “Shell was up there drilling for oil this year, for example. So the question is when do people start going up there – and when is it too late to act. Do we start building icebreakers now – or wait another 10 years?”
Russia also is the only nation with recent experience in building heavy icebreakers, which are estimated to cost at least $1 billion each and take years to build, not counting the time it will take U.S. shipbuilders to construct new facilities capable of handling the extreme weight of such ships.
This article first appeared in the Coast Guard Outlook 2015-2016 Edition.