Rescue at sea

A guide to principles and practice as applied to migrants and refugees

This leaflet has been prepared jointly by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

It is intended for masters, ship owners, government authorities, insurance companies, and other interested parties involved in rescue at sea situations.

It provides guidance on relevant legal provisions, and on practical procedures to ensure the prompt disembarkation of survivors of rescue operations, and measures to meet their specific needs, particularly in the case of refugees and asylum-seekers.

For further information, please see feature article:

SOLAS and SAR amendments strengthen international rescue regime

Although the chances of shipwreck are smaller than ever and diminishing progressively, no one who takes to the sea is completely immune from danger. It matters not whether one is a professional seafarer or fisherman at work, a fare-paying passenger travelling for pleasure or business, a yachtsman engaged in one's favourite pastime or a refugee or migrant taking to the sea out of desperation; the sea does not distinguish.

Which is precisely why the age-old tradition among seafarers of going immediately to the aid of anyone in distress at sea became established and continues to this day. For centuries, seafarers have considered it their duty to assist fellow mariners in peril on the high seas. In modern times, this tradition has become more than just a moral obligation and is now enshrined in international law.