Four AFM SAR personnel have delivered Search and Rescue training to a number of Israeli organisations responsible or involved in maritime SAR.

The training, which lasted one month, had been requested by Israel.

The AFM said that such a development was a natural progression over the success achieved after a group of five Israeli maritime professionals were trained in Malta as SAR mission coordinators in March 2009 at the Maritime Safety and Security Training Centre.

That training had enabled the setting up of Haifa Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) and its official inauguration later on that year.

The aim of the AFM Mobile Training Team was to reach the whole Israeli SAR structure with specialised courses being delivered simultaneously.

Such courses included instruction to SAR administrators who are the national lead of the SAR system, SAR mission coordinators who manage day to day operations within RCC Haifa and on-scene commanders who command operations out at sea.

Participants to the courses hailed from top officials of the maritime administration to officers from the Israeli Defence Force, port authorities and shipping companies.

An operational maritime law awareness course was delivered to lawyers and senior staff of the maritime administration. In all, 40 individuals benefitted of these training opportunities.