Australia-Indonesia Joint Search and Rescue Exercise in Lombok

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA) Search and Rescue and Indonesian Search and Rescue (BASARNAS) will conduct the annual joint search and rescue exercise south of Lombok on 12 May.

The exercise is designed to improve search and rescue coordination and cooperation between Australia and Indonesia in the event of a real search and rescue incident close to the shared search and rescue border.

This exercise will involve BASARNAS vessels based at Mataram and Denpasar as well as two rigid inflatable boats out of Lombok. AMSA will send two observers from its Rescue Coordination Centre based in Canberra and AMSA’s Dornier 328 search and rescue aircraft out of Darwin.

The exercise scenario involves a vessel off the coast of Lombok with10 crew taking to their life raft. The search and rescue vessels and aircraft will attempt to find the life raft, rescue the crew and deliver them to a medical facility in a place of safety.

The exercise is the third in the last two years between Australia and Indonesia. The last exercise was conducted in Kupang in November 2009.

Media Enquiries:
Jenny Dee, Counsellor (Public Affairs) tel. (021) 2550 5290 mob. 0811 187 3175