Indonesia, Australia to Hold Joint SAR Exercise in Merauke Next Year

TheIndonesia.id - The National Search and Rescue Agency, or Basarnas, has announced plan to hold a joint search and rescue exercise with Australia in Merauke, Papua province, in 2023.

Basarnas official Zulfikar revealed that the headquarters of SAR Merauke had been appointed as the location for the joint exercise, and Merauke was chosen because, geographically, it’s one of the main and strategic entry points for shipping from Australia to Indonesia.

The route is also often taken by yachts from Australia or other foreign countries visiting Indonesia – aside from the numerous fishing vessels in the southern part of Merauke.

The possibility of a disaster or accident is high in that area that can be caused by both technical issues and natural disturbance, and to improve the capacity of Basarnas to handle these occurrences, a joint exercise is aimed to be the tool for personnel to train and enhance their skills in search and rescue.

“We will train on how to carry out SAR operation as well as search techniques that will be employed,” Zulfikar said.

The event will also see Basarnas developing a formulation for a joint SAR effort with neighbor country Australia and coordinating the operation based on guides mapped out by SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC).