“The IMRF is very grateful to the UK P&I Club for this generous contribution, which will support our important work in this area.”

These were the words of International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) chief executive Theresa Crossley (pictured) following the UK P&I Club’s donation aimed at backing the charity’s efforts in improving maritime search and rescue (SAR) capabilities worldwide. The international non-governmental organisation is particularly involved in the area of maritime mass rescue operations (MRO).

The goal is to develop resources and provide training in order to make responders better prepared for incidents, which Crossley said – while rare – are extremely challenging. Preparedness, she stressed, means more lives saved.

“The IMRF works to prevent the loss of lives at sea which, as a major provider of maritime protection and indemnity insurance, is a priority for us too,” said Stuart Edmonston, head of loss prevention at the UK P&I Club. “Every year the UK P&I Club supports a selection of charities, usually with a maritime theme as part of our business commitment to CSR. The IMRF’s work to increase knowledge and resources around mass rescue operations is vitally important globally.”

The funding – the amount of which was not specified but is said to be significant – will go towards updating the IMRF online resource library, a collection of MRO guidance materials available to SAR professionals for free. Part of the donation will also support two scholarships for the IMRF MRO subject-matter expert course, which offers a detailed study of MRO issues.

This year’s edition of the unique course will run in September at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. The scholarship will cover course fees, as well as travel and accommodation expenses.