A four-person team from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Maritime Coast Guard Agency (MCA) will visit Montserrat from 20 – 24 February to assess the island’s current capability and capacity in the area of terrestrial and marine search and rescue.
According to a statement from the Governor’s Office, this visit is part of the first phase of a FCO project under the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) to provide practical support and advice to the Overseas Territories in meeting their international obligations for search and rescue.
The team consists of Philipp Bostock (MCA), Naomi Davies (MCA), Wayne Ives (Overseas Territories Directorate, FCO) and Ian Perrott (independent marine consultant). The team will tour the island to see the physical challenges that the terrain and sea present and will hold a range of meetings, a mix of one-to- ones and workshops, with all the main agencies and organisations involved in search and rescue issues. These will gather information, assess and identify current capacity, capability and gaps.
This and similar visits to the other OTs will assess cross-territory issues and identify priority areas for further work. Some of this may be pan-territory work, while there may also be territory-specific issues that need to be addressed. This work will continue for the next two years.
