The International Advanced Search and Rescue Exercise - ASAREX24 brings together national and international entities, taking place between Monday and Friday.

“The objective of this exercise is to promote interaction, foster cooperation, reinforce mutual support, and provide operational training to search and rescue teams,” the Navy said in a statement.

According to the Navy, ASAREX24 also aims to “improve the coordination, proficiency, and qualification of military personnel, militarized personnel, and civilians involved in maritime search and rescue operations”.

The exercise program includes lectures, workshops, and practical exercises, to be carried out “both on land and at sea”.

Lectures will take place at Pavilhão do Mar (Ponta Delgada) and practical exercises (between Tuesday and Thursday) involving simulations of various search and rescue scenarios, including rescuing shipwrecked people, fighting fires on vessels, and providing first aid.

The last day of the exercise, on Friday, will be marked by an aeronaval demonstration of maritime search and rescue, to be held between 10:30 local time (11:30 in Lisbon) and 12:00, in front of Santa Bárbara beach, in Ribeira Grande.

Lectures and exercises can be attended by the public.

ASAREX24 is organised by the Portuguese Navy, through the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Delgada) and the Azores Maritime Zone Command, in collaboration with the Portuguese Air Force, through the Lajes Search and Rescue Coordination Center (RCC Lajes) and the Azores Air Zone Command, also integrating several regional, national and international entities.

The Portuguese Navy recalls in the note that it “plays a crucial role in safeguarding human life at sea”.

In 2023, MRCC Delgada “coordinated 148 maritime search and rescue cases, saving or assisting 80 lives” and, this year, it has already coordinated 79 cases, with “39 lives saved or assisted”.