This lecture will delve into the nuanced and often contentious issue of whether volunteer or government Search and Rescue (SAR) organisations should engage in operations focused on saving property, such as towing empty or broken-down vessels. We will critically examine whether international or national legislation imposes a duty on SAR organisations to conduct such interventions, or if these actions are driven by other motivations.

We will begin by exploring the core principles and obligations of maritime SAR operations, traditionally centred on saving lives. The lecture will question the appropriateness of extending these operations to include the salvage of property, evaluating both legal and ethical considerations. We will analyse relevant international conventions, such as the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR Convention), and national regulations to understand if there is an explicit requirement or merely an implicit expectation for SAR organisations to save property.

The lecture will then draw comparisons with other emergency services, such as fire and rescue or police forces, to see if similar expectations exist in different contexts. Through this comparison, we will assess whether there is a place or need for property-focused interventions in maritime SAR and how these actions align with or diverge from the primary mission of saving lives.

Further, we will discuss the policies that SAR organisations would need to implement to carry out property-focused operations safely. This includes the necessity of dynamic risk assessments, which are crucial for understanding the risks versus benefits of these operations. Case studies where SAR operations aimed at salvaging property have gone wrong will be analysed to highlight the potential dangers and the lessons learned from these incidents.

Another critical aspect of the lecture will be the exploration of the conflict of interest between maritime SAR and salvage operations. We will investigate how the lines between these two can become blurred when SAR organisations are involved in saving maritime property and how this impacts their primary obligation to save lives. This part of the lecture will provide insights into the ethical dilemmas and operational challenges that arise from this conflict.

To enrich the discussion, the lecture will suggest examining several other areas, such as the economic implications of property-focused SAR operations, the potential for liability issues, and the perspectives of various stakeholders, including SAR personnel, maritime insurers, and vessel owners. We will also consider the training and resources required for SAR organisations to effectively and safely conduct these operations.

By the end of this lecture, participants will have a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in extending SAR operations to include the salvage of property. They will be equipped with the knowledge to critically assess the appropriateness and feasibility of such interventions within their own SAR organisations, balancing the duty to save lives with the desire (or potential obligation) to save property.