Comprehensive Maritime Search and Rescue Resource Planning

Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) in Canada is a very valuable service. To provide the best coverage over our vast expanses of navigable waters with a limited number of Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) vessels requires careful planning. The operating environment is very complicated, with a great diversity of traffic such as commercial ships, fishing vessels, recreational boating, ferries, and cruise ships, sometimes operating in difficult weather conditions. This research project aims to develop a model using historical SAR incident data, current traffic patterns, and existing Coast Guard vessel types and locations, to determine whether the vessels can be assigned differently to improve coverage. There are several other uses of the model. If a SAR vessel unexpected goes out of service, it may be necessary to rearrange other CCG vessels temporarily to cover the gap, and the model is particularly useful for calculating what the implications of various arrangements are. In the longer term, response vessels need to be replaced. The model can also be used to assess fleet configurations, that is what mix of different types of Coast Guard vessels is the most cost effective to achieve the best response capability.

One interesting variation on this asset location model is to assess the need in Canada's north. As the Arctic ice recedes due to global warming, and resource exploration and tourism grow in the north, there is an increased need to provide SAR services in that region. However, maritime incidents there are so rare and the area is so vast that it is not cost-effective to provide dedicated lifeboats across Canada's Arctic. Our research will examine the current response regime, with assets that are primarily based in southern bases, and consider the concept of remoteness and what influence it has on response planning in the North. Remoteness of course includes distance as a key factor, but it also encompasses other accessibility issues such as bad weather, lack of infrastructure for supporting response resources, and potential communication difficulties. So the general response model described above will be customized to apply to the harsh, distant, and risky environment faced by marine traffic up north.