70% of Russian search-and-rescue vessels need repair

27.12.2010 Seventy per cent of Russian Navy's search-and-rescue vessels are in need of repair, said Vice Premier Sergei Ivanov.

"Vessels of different search-and-rescue (SR) services are in critical condition; lifetime of 80 per cent SR ships have been expired, seventy per cent of them need either yard repair or modernization", said Ivanov appearing at the session of maritime committee at Russian government.

According to him, there are still segmented "departmental" approaches in the area of search-and-rescue at sea which lead to duplication of functions, scattering of funds, and dilution of responsibility.

Lack of unified technical policy causes duplications of hardware procurements. The use of aviation while search and life-saving at sea is still indefinite, noted Ivanov.

"Ironically, it is easier to hire foreigners instead of relying on our own SR aircrafts and helicopters", said the Vice Premier.

He added that the number of emergencies at sea was still very high; only within the recent two years there have been 12 shipwrecks in Russia, some of them were fatal.