A multi-agency exercise has been held in the British Virgin Islands as part of ongoing workshops and training delivered through the Overseas Territories Search and Rescue (OTSAR) project.
The event was coordinated by members of the US Coast Guard and Her Majesty's Coastguard. The British Virgin Islands had developed its mass rescue plan for dealing with cruise ship incidents that involve a large number of people in need of assistance during two workshops as part of the project held earlier this year, working with subject matter experts. Building on from a table top exercise, the plan has now been tested out through a walk through exercise to test processes starting from disembarkation to passenger reception and repatriation.
A spokesman for the event said: 'Everyone's worked really hard to develop this plan to this stage, so that in case of a serious incident all agencies and partners can work together effectively. One of the great things about this work is the way that people from across the search and rescue community give of their time and expertise to ensure the best possible response during a mass rescue incident.'