The Maritime Safety and Port Management Administration of Montenegro (UPSUL) today used the portage action for the missing vessel, which could pose a danger to navigation on the Montenegrin coast, to test in practice the capacities and procedures of its Maritime Search and Rescue Service (SAR).
Namely, in the afternoon, the UPSUL Maritime Operations Center received information that a seven-meter-long speedboat with an inboard engine, which posed a danger to other participants in maritime traffic, broke free from its moorings the night before under the influence of a strong northerly wind in the Gulf of Sutomore.
"The search was immediately started using the radar system for the speedboat, which was not moving under its own power, but was carried by the sea, and therefore it was difficult to locate it. A so-called SECURITE message was created for all vessels to pay maximum attention and if they spot a lost vessel, immediately informs the Maritime Operations Center. With the coordination of the UPSUL with all services of the Navy of the Army of Montenegro, the Border Police Sector and the Port Authority of Bar, the idea of engaging the FRONTEX helicopter, which went from Bari in Italy to Montenegro to participate in the search for with a lost vessel", Deputy Director of UPSUL, Žarko Lukšić, told "Vijesta" this evening.
While all this was happening, at the same time several vessels coming or going from Montenegro were contacted by the Maritime Operations Center to raise vigilance during navigation. This resulted in the fact that the yacht "La-La Land", which was sailing towards the Montenegrin coast from the direction of the Otranto Gate, spotted the missing orange-white speedboat some nine nautical miles south of Bar. After receiving a report from the yacht, the FRONTEX helicopter immediately went there and confirmed that it was a lost vessel that UPSUL was looking for.
The rescue boat SAR-1 then headed to the indicated position with the owner of that vessel, who then managed to start the motor of the speedboat, after which the vessel together with the SAR-1 boat headed back to Bar.
"On this occasion, the SAR system was successfully tested in order to search for a missing vessel, as well as the use of radar systems, the engagement of passing vessels that are obliged to participate by order of the maritime authorities in such and similar searches, and international assistance in terms of observing the sea surface from the air." , Lukšić concluded, expressing satisfaction that the missing vessel, although there were no people on it, was successfully found and returned to its owner.
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