ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses cross-border cooperation in maritime search and rescue (SAR) operations. The discussion builds upon experiences from two incidents in the Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea, namely the search for the Russian MI-8 helicopter that disappeared in the Isfjorden near Barentsburg at Spitsbergen and the rescue of the crew from the grounded dry cargo vessel Victor Koryakin on the Rybachiy Peninsula in the Barents Sea.
This chapter focuses on the key actors, their roles, and the coordination of a cross-border maritime emergency response. It sheds light on the nature of the processes of international cooperation in maritime SAR and discusses the factors that facilitated the successful cooperation practice. Finally, historical and more recent experiences in cross-border emergency response and their potential impacts in the Arctic seas are discussed.
