IAMSAR Manual Vol. III, 2025 Ed. (digital)
30.07.2025
IAMSAR Manual
KL962E
IAMSAR Manual Volume III, 2025 Edition (digital) September 2025
Jointly published by IMO and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the three-volume IAMSAR Manual provides guidelines for a common aviation and maritime approach to organizing and providing search and rescue (SAR) services. Each volume can be used as a standalone document or, in conjunction with the other two volumes, as a means to attain a full view of the SAR system.
The IAMSAR manual is divided into three volumes:
Volume I, Organization and Management, discusses the global SAR system concept, establishment and improvement of national and regional SAR systems and co-operation with neighbouring States to provide effective and economical SAR services.
Volume II, Mission Coordination, assists personnel who plan and co- ordinate SAR operations and exercises.
Volume III, Mobile Facilities, is intended to be carried aboard rescue units, aircraft and vessels to help with performance of a search, rescue or on-scene co-ordinator function, and with aspects of SAR that pertain to their own emergencies.
Amendments to the IAMSAR Manual are prepared by the ICAO/IMO Joint Working Group on Harmonization of Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue and being endorsed by the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR), and finally adopted at three-year intervals, in principle, by the Maritime Safety Committee, along with the adoption process in place at the ICAO.
The IAMSAR Manual Volume III, also known as the "Mobile Facilities" volume, is a crucial resource for professionals involved in search and rescue operations, particularly those on rescue units, aircraft, and vessels. It provides practical guidance on how to perform search and rescue functions, including acting as an on-scene coordinator, and addresses aspects of SAR related to their own emergencies. The manual is updated every three years to reflect the latest international regulations and best practices.
IMO MSC-MEPC.2/Circ.2 stipulates that International Code of Signals and IAMSAR Manual Volume III are for emergency use and should always be available on board ships in the form of hard copy.
A new edition of the IAMSAR Manual is published every three years. The 2022 edition includes amendments, adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and approved by the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its 103rd session in May 2021 by means of MSC.1/Circ.1640, which become applicable on 1 June 2022.
CONTENTS LISTING
v. Foreword
vii. Abbreviations and acronyms
xiii. Glossary
1-i. Section 1 Overview of the SAR system
2-i. Section 2 Distress alerts and messages
3-i. Section 3 Medical assistance
4-i. Section 4 Vessel emergencies at sea
5-i. Section 5 Aircraft emergencies
6-i. Section 6 Initial action by assisting vessels
7-i. Section 7 Initial action by assisting aircraft
8-i. Section 8 On-scene communications
9-i. Section 9 On-scene coordinator
10-i. Section 10 Multiple aircraft SAR operations
11-i. Section 11 Aircraft coordinator
12-i. Section 12 Searching
13-i. Section 13 Rescue action plan
14-i. Section 14 Rescue or assistance by vessels
15-i. Section 15 Rescue or assistance by aircraft
16-i. Section 16 Vessel/helicopter operations
17-i. Section 17 Underwater search and rescue
18-i. Section 18 Rescue on land
19-i. Section 19 Intercepts
20-i. Section 20 Survivors
21-i. Section 21 Deceased persons
22-i. Section 22 Public relations
23-i. Section 23 Training
A-1. Appendix A Regulation V/33 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974
B-1. Appendix B Search action message
C-1. Appendix C Factors affecting observer effectiveness
D-1. Appendix D Standard format for search and rescue situation report (SITREP)
E-1. Appendix E SAR briefing and debriefing form
F-1. Appendix F Multiple aircraft SAR operations
Action cards