OUR BASES, OUR ASSETS It’s our business to save lives on South African waters, and we do so by equipping our volunteers with the most efficient and safest equipment and craft

Sea Rescue currently has 41 bases (and growing) around South Africa’s 3 000km coastline and at five inland dams. It’s our business to save lives on South African waters and to do so, we equip our volunteer crew with the safest vessels and most up-to-date equipment.

OUR CREWS ARE ready 24/7 to respond to water-related emergencies. In order to perform their lifesaving work safely and optimally, each station’s base building, vessels, vehicles and equipment have to be kept in 100% running order. This responsibility rests with each station’s crew who, aside from undergoing in-depth training and performing rescues, also devote many hours to maintaining and cleaning their bases and assets.

Each station is supported by our Operations Department at head office whose job it is to identify and investigate the need for new bases at strategic positions around the country. So our footprint expands as the necessity arises. Rescue services director Brett Ayres notes: ‘Over the years our statistics have shown that when we open new bases, the number of lives saved increases. This is the key driver for our strategy of opening new bases.’

We also undertake significant remodelling and/ or rebuilding to extend base structures to accommodate additional or larger rescue craft.

Recent projects include rebuilds at Station 10 (Simon’s Town) and Station 17 (Hermanus) in preparation for delivery of the offshore rescue craft (ORC) currently being manufactured.

With each remodelling, rebuild or new build, we conform to the latest legislation regarding energy use, which allows us, for instance, to install rainwater harvesting systems and proper wastewater management. While energy consumption is relatively low at our rescue bases, we still aim to ensure the buildings are as energy efficient and environmentally friendly as possible.

The NSRI is currently the only maritime rescue service operating on South African territorial waters and although many rescues are inshore or coastal (up to 40nm) we receive requests

for assistance further offshore. These types of call-outs require rescue vessels with advanced capabilities, both in terms of technology and endurance, to ensure the safety of our crew in severe conditions out at sea, as well as their ability to assist casualty vessels efficiently. These scenarios typically include medical evacuations and mass rescue incidents.

As part of our large fleet replacement programme, we’re making a significant investment in the local boat-building industry. After extensive research and development, the NSRI opted for the 14m search and rescue (SAR) ORC to replace its Class 1 fleet. This purpose-built rescue vessel

is self-righting and designed for rescue operations in extreme conditions. It can be deployed on rescue missions as far as 50nm from land and has an expected lifespan of at least 40 years. The ORC also allows us to extend our survivor- carrying capacity to 23 people. Our third ORC is currently in production in Cape Town, creating employment and developing new skills in the maritime sector. The total investment is worth around R180 million.

‘This is huge for a non-profit organisation but it had to be done,’ says NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson. ‘The risk of lost lives, of our crews and those stranded at sea, is more than worth it. Our coastline is busy and the people who make our blue economy thrive deserve to be protected.’

Recently, we welcomed a new addition to our fleet designed specifically with surf rescue in mind. The surf-rescue vessel, the Yamaha VX 1050 JetRIB, allows for a helmsman and two crew members and features a hull with a Hypalon pontoon that ensures increased stability and flotation capabilities.

In addition to our rescue vehicles and vessels, stations house a range of equipment, including quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles and tractors, used for beach access and launching vessels respectively. Personal protective equipment (PPE)

‘Our footprint expands as the necessity arises. Over the years our statistics have shown that when we open new bases, the number of lives saved increases. This is the key driver for our strategy of opening new bases.’ Brett Ayres, Rescue Services Director

is standardised among crews. Specialised equipment used for specific rescue operations, such as medical evacuations and swift-water rescue, is constantly being assessed so that everything our crews need to perform their rescue work is in line with the latest technological developments and safety standards. Our most prized assets are our volunteers and keeping them well equipped to perform their jobs safely and efficiently remains a key focus area.

RIB station

Class 1 station

Lifeguards/Surf rescue swimmers Air-sea rescue

High-angle rescue

Swift-water rescue

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RIB station Air-sea rescue

Class 1 station

Lifeguards/Surf rescue swimmers High-angle rescue

Swift-water rescue Port St Johns

Mdumbi

Kei River Mouth