International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 5

Number 2

June 2011

189

1 BACKGROUND

The active involvement of the coastal states in

safeguarding and promoting the safety of human

life, environment and property related to maritime

navigation in the waters in which they exercise

jurisdiction, sovereignty or sovereign rights, is

shown in a number of international legal texts.

The International Convention on Maritime Search

and Rescue, Hamburg, 1979 (Convention SAR'79)

and the United Nations Convention for the Law of

the Sea, Montego Bay, Jamaica, 1982 are included

among those juridical tools.

These two fundamental legal instruments lay

down both regulatory and technical aspects of the

development of reactive response to maritime

emergencies.

Both texts establish the principle of division of

the entire maritime waters, defining areas of

responsibility for maritime search and rescue

associated with every coastal nation. These nations

should assign specific resources - human, technical

and legal - to meet the requirements that arise as a

result of the liabilities undertaken by the parties.

Although both conventions regulate the

commitments related to maritime search and rescue

matters undertaken by the parties, the International

Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue,

Hamburg 1979, known as SAR'79 Convention,

which Spain joined in 1993, lays down the basic

guidelines to be followed by the Authorities of the

coastal states in the process of design and

implementation of maritime search and rescue

services.

Over the years, this agreement has been amended

a number of times. Among the amendments which

are due to be highlighted, we find those adopted in

1998. According to these, it is essential to provide

the centers responsible for carrying out maritime

search and rescue operation with detailed

operational plans appropriate and adapted to the

particularities of each specific search and rescue

region. These plans will allow carry out

these actions effectively.

These plans should also establish not only the

procedures to be followed during mobilization of

rescue units, but also provide the methodology to be

used in developing search and rescue operations.

The plans require the establishment of coordination

instruments between adjacent rescue centers and

Maritime Safety in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Taxonomy and Evolution of Emergencies Rate

in 2000-2004 Period

J. Walliser, F. Piniella, J.C. Rasero & N. Endrina

Departamento de Ciencias y Técnicas de la Navegación. Universidad de Cádiz. CASEM –

Facultad de Ciencias Náuticas, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

ABSTRACT: Both SAR’79 and UNCLOS’82 Conventions are specific tools that establish the juridical and

technical foundations for the development of reactive aspects related to maritime safety response. These con-

ventions set up the search and rescue regions in which coastal states should assume the responsibility to dedi-

cate resources, to cover the needs of the SAR responsibilities. 2006 amendments to IAMSAR manual volume

I, in force since 2007, June the 1st, established the identification and assessment of risks related to maritime

safety as one of the practical principles in maritime risk management. The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow nav-

igational channel connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Morocco. The

Strait supports a huge volume of maritime traffic increasing steadily every year. This paper presents the pre-

liminary results obtained in relation with the taxonomy and temporal distribution of maritime emergencies re-

ported and documented by the Spanish Maritime Administration throughout 2000-2004 period.

190

procedures and criteria to be used not only during

the gathering and evaluation of relevant information

related to the emergency but also alerting ships and

aircraft transiting the area of the incident and

requesting their cooperation in operations.

A rigorous approach to the formulation and

development of plans and protocols to cope with

maritime emergency situations requires the

application of specific methodological tools that

would make possible the identification,

classification and categorization of those risks that

must be controlled or the mitigation of their

consequences.

On the other hand, at the request of the interested

countries, and with the aim of facilitating the

adoption of the necessary measures for the

adaptation of the standard and promoting

harmonization in a global environment, the

International Maritime Organization (IMO) and

International Civil Aviation Organization

(ICAO) published in 1999, the International

Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue

Manual (IAMSAR), a dynamic document that over

the years has undergone several modifications which

enabled it to improve and adapt to changing reality.

Among these changes we can find the 2006

amendments, in force since June 1, 2007, which set

out the practical principles to be followed in the

implementation of aeronautical and maritime search

and rescue services and addresses the need

to identify and asset the risks related to maritime

safety. In such a way that these amendments state

that the effectiveness of the response to maritime

emergencies depends, among others, upon the

knowledge of type and frequency of those marine

incidents that may result in a risk for human life at

sea, safety of navigation and protection of marine

and coastal environment.

This paper presents the preliminary results of the

study carried out over the emergency rates in the

Strait of Gibraltar, approaching the taxonomy and

distribution of incidents and accidents documented

by the Spanish Maritime Administration from 2000

to 2004 in the geographical area of the Strait of

Gibraltar.

2 ENVIRONMENT

2.1 Geographical environment

The Strait of Gibraltar (Figure 1) is the natural

passage which links the Mediterranean Sea with the

Atlantic Ocean. Although its boundaries have never

been formally established, for the present research

study the western boundary has been defined by the

line connecting Cape Trafalgar with Cape Spartel

while the eastern one has been considered by the

opposition Europe Point - Punta Almina.

The European coast, limited by Cape Trafalgar

and Europe Point, is 55 nautical miles long, whereas

the African coast from Cape Spartel to Punta Almina

is 42 nautical miles long.

Its longitudinal axis is divided into two sections.

The Western section, some 18 nautical miles in

length and oriented approximately east - west, runs

from the line connecting the Island of Tarifa, located

on the Spanish coast, with Cala Grande, on the

African coast, towards the Atlantic Ocean. The

Eastern section runs from west by southwest to east

by northeast, along some 15 nautical miles to reach

the eastern Strait boundary.

The channel presents its maximum width, 24.2

nautical miles, on its western limit, between Cape

Trafalgar and Cape Spartel, while the narrowest

section is defined by the line connecting median

point between Tarifa and Punta Guadalmesi River,

on the northern coast, and Punta Cires, on the

southern coast. At this point, the channel is 7.45

nautical miles wide. The eastern embouchure has a

maximum width of 12.5 nautical miles.

On the northern coast there are significant shoals

and reef areas alternating with broad bays and sandy

beaches. On this coast are located the ports of

Algeciras- La Línea, Tarifa and Gibraltar.

The southern coast, geologically very similar to

the northern one, has, however, a much more rugged

and inaccessible coastline. On this coast we find the

ports of Tangier, located east of Punta Malabata,

Tangiers – Mediterranean, close to Punta Cires, and

Ceuta, located by Punta Almina, on the eastern end

of the African coast.

Figure 1. General overview of the Strait of Gibraltar