The Peruvian Government signed an agreement to boost cooperation with the American Government in terms of maritime research and rescue operations. Peruvian Foreign Minister Néstor Popolizio Bardales and U.S. Ambassador to Peru Krishna R. Urs signed the Agreement to strengthen cooperation in the field of maritime and aeronautical SAR and to enhance effectiveness in assisting persons in distress.
Moreover the agreement enabled improved and formal collaboration between the USCG and the Peruvian General Directorate of Captaincies and Coastguards and Peruvian Air Force during maritime distress cases in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
It is the first binding SAR Agreement between the US and a South American country.
It will be the base of future bilateral cooperation and coordination of SAR operations in the two nations’ contiguous maritime SAR regions.
The Agreement also allows for cooperation on joint SAR exercises, regular checks of communication channels, reciprocal visits by SAR experts, and the exchange of information.
As U.S. Coast Guard’s Richard Buttons, the U.S. delegate during the negotiations, which started in 2007 commented
This is a landmark Agreement for the U.S. Coast Guard, as it codifies and recognizes the importance of cooperation between our two nations in conducting maritime and aeronautical search and rescue operations.
In the meantime, he continued that the Agreement will save lives and enhance the collective effectiveness in assisting mariners in distress.
The Agreement stems from authorities and responsibilities found in the 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR Convention) and the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, to which the United States and Peru are parties.
Both Conventions require the establishment of search and rescue regions, defined by an area in which each nation agrees to coordinate and provide SAR services to persons in distress at sea.
