Saudi Border Guard oversees training drill to simulate natural disaster at sea

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia began a training drill for its national natural maritime disaster response plan, search and rescue on Thursday in the waters off Yanbu. The drill was overseen by the Saudi Border Guard director general and chairman of the standing committee for the management of maritime disasters in the regional waters of the Kingdom, General Awad bin Eid Al-Balawi.
The exercise was also attended by Yanbu Governor Saad bin Marzooq Al-Suhaimi and representatives from 29 governmental and non-governmental entities, members of the national standing committee.
During the drill, the port’s control tower transmitted relevant information to vessels at sea nearby, and the Joint Marine Rescue Coordination Center’s Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba Commission (JMRCC) also transmitted information to the Saudi Arabia Mission Control Center (SAMCC).
Border Guard sector spokesman and member of the standing committee Col. Saher Al-Harbi explained that the drill would evaluate and enhance the skills of the various staff involved in the implementation of all elements of the plan, which include search, rescue, firefighting, evacuation, pollution control, transport and provision of aid. Rescue dogs also took part in the drill.
“The training is also designed to improve cooperation between government and private agencies when dealing with events that endanger people’s safety,” he added.
The training scenario involved a collision near the entrance of the channel leading to Yunbu port between a tugboat with 30 sailors on board and a ship carrying 100 passengers, causing fuel spills, onboard fires and a breach in the ship’s hull, as well as panic among the passengers, leading to various injuries. A jet sent to assist the rescue operation then (in the scenario) suffered mechanical failure and crash landed in the sea.
Al-Harbi said that the exercise was managed by the search and rescue coordination center in Jeddah, in association with the border guard sector.
“The exercise managed to achieve all its targets and has proved the high degree of alertness and professionalism of all of the participating entities,” he explained.