Search and Rescue
A6. Public international law of the seaDefinition
SAR Convention obligations parallel UNCLOS Article 98.
Search and rescue at sea operates under the 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, which divides the oceans into search and rescue regions, each with a responsible rescue coordination center, and obliges parties to provide adequate SAR services. It works with the GMDSS for distress alerting and with SOLAS V/33, which requires any ship receiving a distress signal to proceed to assist. UNCLOS Article 98 places a parallel duty on every flag state to require masters to render assistance. The IAMSAR Manual gives the operational procedures.
Source: SAR Convention 1979; SOLAS Reg.V/33; UNCLOS Art.98