CICPA launches maritime protection initiative Bihar 2013

Abu Dhabi: In a bid to promote maritime safety, security and environmental responsibility towards all members of UAE society who use the country’s seas, the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority (CICPA) launched its Bihar 2013 awareness campaign on Wednesday.

“Since the establishment of CICPA in 2007 and the introduction of the maritime emergency number [996] in July 2009, we have witnessed a great response from the public in their utilisation of our services,” said Colonel Salem Al Kindi, head of the Bihar organising committee at the CICPA.

In 2012 alone, the CICPA reported saving the lives of 113 individuals caught at sea, while receiving 2,300 reports of maritime emergencies. Moreover, the CICPA has three boat licensing and registration centres where all procedures can be conducted from one location and all ships weighing over 300 tonnes are fitted with the Maritime Safety and Security tracking system.

“This system has been implemented on 13,200 boats and is essential for anyone planning on going to sea if their boat weighs more than 300 tonnes. It helps us detect the location of vessels at sea allowing us to reach them in case of a critical situation,” said Al Kindi.

In light of the recent foggy weather, Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Muhairi of the CICPA, instructed all sea-goers to refrain from any water-related activities. “An Emirati sailor called our emergency number and reported being lost in the fog while fishing and said that he could not tell where he was located or what he could do. We then instructed him to push the distress signal on his Maritime Safety and Security tracking system, which allowed us to track his location and guide him to safety at Mina Zayed,” said Al Muhairi.

Equipped with helicopters, boats and professional divers, officials from CICPA told Gulf News that they have no restrictions as to what they are capable of doing. “The only cases we cannot save are when the victim is at fault either by failing to report an incident or informing us when it is too late to do anything,” said Al Kindi.

This year’s campaign is aimed at people who frequent coastal areas: sea tours, fishermen, swimmers, sailors, students, government sectors and members of the CICPA. The Authority has also reported a reduction in life-threatening situations since 2010 as their response time has been reduced and their resources have doubled.