On July 28-29 search and rescue and counter pollution vessel Šakiai of the Lithuanian Navy took part in a trilateral search and rescue exercise SAREX 14. It is an annual civilian exercise for Lithuanian, Polish and Russian ships with civilian crews.
The training event is organised and led annually by one of the participating nations. The trilateral SAREX 2014 was arranged by the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre in Gdynia (Poland) in the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Poland in the Baltic Sea. The exercise involved 9 vessels and 2 aircraft.
The exercise scenario simulated search and rescue of a ship that had sent a distress signal and went missing. The Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre in Gdynia (Poland) contacted maritime search and coordination centres in Lithuania and Russia for assistance in finding the ship.
International exercises of that type are organised to test and improve countries' readiness to conduct search and rescue in concert and cooperation.
The exercise is organised on the basis of a trilateral Lithuania-Polish-Russian agreement signed in October 2009.
Photo: courtesy of the Lithuanian Navy
