A number of USCG assets were used during the workshop, including the dolphin viewing vessel Dolphin Star, the USCGC Joseph Gerczak, and a Coast Guard Station Honolulu 45-foot Response Boat-Medium.
The multi-day workshop included simulated response to a distressed vessel amid a mass rescue operation off Waianae, as well as a review of case studies, programs and equipment such as the Tsunami warning system and personal locator beacons.
More than 15 different Pacific countries took part in the workshop, which is part of a larger effort by the International Maritime Organization, secretariat of the Pacific Community, and Pacific SAR steering committee to bolster its search and rescue capacity across the Pacific.
“The long-term goal of these regular workshops is to further the mission of the steering committee to measurably improve the SAR capability of each of the Pacific Island countries or territories in line with international standards and the PACAR measures of success by 2021,” according to USCG. “The PACSAR 8 workshop is a place to collaboratively share successes and continue the learning process by assessing strengths, risks, opportunities for partnerships, and to learn from each other.”
