Batumi Hosts 15th Black Sea Search and Rescue Conference
11-09-2019

The 15th Black Sea Search and Rescue Conference was opened in Batumi - Tamar Ioseliani, the Head of the Maritime Transport Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and Tornike Rizhvadze, the Head of the Government of Adjara, opened the event.

The conference is held on September 11-12 and will serve to enhance the experience of the Black Sea countries and enhance cooperation in search and rescue areas around the Black Sea. The conference is held every year in different cities of the Black Sea countries. Georgia is hosting the event for the second time. The 15th Black Sea Search and Rescue Conference is organized by the Maritime Transport Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.

“We must be prepared to coordinate in a consistent manner during the incidents in the Black Sea. Consequently, the Black Sea countries hold this conference annually to exchange information and experience gathered over the past year. Georgia is ready to meet the challenges of the Black Sea and perform large-scale search and rescue operations at a very high level,” – Tamar Ioseliani, the Head of the Maritime Transport Agency commented.

The conference is attended by the relevant agencies of the member states of the Agreement on Cooperation Regarding Maritime Search and Rescue Services among Black Sea Coastal States, signed in Ankara in 1998, which include Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia.

Representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Center for Joint Management of Maritime Operations, Civil Aviation Agency, Sakaeronavigatsia Ltd and State Hydrography Agency represented Georgia at the Conference. 

Executive Director of the German Sea Search and Rescue Service Capt. Udo Helge Fox, as well as representatives of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) also attended the Conference.


Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. © 2021