Small Island, Big Issue: Malta and its Search and Rescue Region - SAR

• Author: Ángeles Jiménez García-Carriazo
• Position: The Nippon Foundation Lecturer on Ocean Governance, IMO International Maritime Law Institute, Malta.
• Pages: 299-321

PAIX ET SÉCURITÉ INTERNATIONALES

Journal of International Law and International Relations

Num 7, janvier-décembre 2019 | ISSN 2341-0868

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.25267/Paix_secur_int.2019.i7.10

Paix et Securité Internationales

ISSN 2341-0868, Num. 7, janvier-décembre 2019, pp. 299-321

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.25267/Paix_secur_int.2019.i7.10

SMALL ISLAND, BIG ISSUE: MALTA AND ITS SEARCH AND

RESCUE REGION – SAR

Ángeles JIMÉNEZ GARCÍA-CARRIAZO1

I.-INTRODUCTION. II.-SEARCH AND RESCUE REGIONS. III.- INTERPRETA-

TION OF THE CONCEPT OF PLACE OF SAFETY. IV. DISTRESS: A HUMANI-

TARIAN OR A SECURITISED TERM?. V. MALTA, AT THE CROSSROADS IN

THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.VI. -CONCLUSIONS

ABSTRACT: Malta is located at the frontline of the Central Mediterranean route. It is a waypoint

for migrants coming from the North African coast and crossing the Mediterranean, who have to

pass through the Maltese search and rescue region. Malta acceded to the 1979 SAR Convention

in 2002, but it has not yet signed the 2004 Amendments which clarify that the disembarkation of

persons found in distress at sea must be done in a place of safety.

KEYWORDS: SAR Convention - SAR region - Malta - search and rescue - place of safety.

UNA PEQUEÑA ISLA, UN GRAN PROBLEMA: MALTA Y SU ZONA DE BÚSQUEDA Y

SALVAMENTO–SAR

RESUMEN: Malta se encuentra en la primera línea de la ruta del Mediterráneo central. Es un pun-

to en el recorrido de los migrantes que vienen de la costa norteafricana y cruzan el Mediterráneo,

que tienen que pasar por la zona de búsqueda y salvamento maltesa. Malta se adhirió al Convenio

SAR de 1979 en 2002, pero aún no ha f‌i rmado las Enmiendas de 2004 que aclaran que el desembar-

co de personas encontradas en peligro en el mar debe realizarse en lugar seguro.

PALABRAS CLAVE: Convenio SAR - Zona SAR - Malta - búsqueda y salvamento marítimo -

lugar seguro.

PETITE ÎLE, GROS PROBLÈME : MALTE ET SA RÉGION DE RECHERCHE ET DE

SAUVETAGE – SAR

RÉSUMÉ: Malte est située sur la ligne de front de la route méditerranée centrale. C’est un point de

passage pour les migrants venant de la côte nord-africaine et traversant la Méditerranée, qui doivent

parcourir la région maltaise de recherche et de sauvetage. Malte a adhéré à la Convention SAR de

1979 en 2002, mais n’a pas encore signé les Amendements de 2004 qui précisent que le débarque-

ment des personnes trouvées en détresse en mer doit être réalisé en lieu sûr.

MOTS CLES: Région SAR - Malte - recherche et sauvetage - lieu sûr.

1 The Nippon Foundation Lecturer on Ocean Governance, IMO International Maritime

Law Institute, Malta.

Citation: JIMÉNEZ GARCÍA-CARRIAZO, A., «Small Island, Big Issue: Malta and its Search and Rescue Region

- SAR», Paix et Sécurité Internationales, num. 7, 2019, pp. 299-321

Received: 17 August 2019

Accepted: 03 October 2019

Small Island, Big Issue: Malta and its Search and Rescue Region - SAR

Paix et Securité Internationales

ISSN 2341-0868, Num. 7, janvier-décembre 2019, pp. 299-321

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.25267/Paix_secur_int.2019.i7.10

I. INTRODUCTION

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people endanger their lives in jour-

neys across the Mediterranean Sea as a result of famine, armed conf‌l icts,

poverty, and many other causes. In the pursuit of better conditions of life,

Malta is one of the main points of arrival.

Many of these migrants f‌i nd themselves in distress during those long

journeys. The duty to assist persons in distress at sea is a long-established

rule of customary international law which was codif‌i ed as a general and un-

conditional obligation by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the

Sea2 (hereinafter, UNCLOS). Article 98 of UNCLOS states, with regards to

f‌l ag States, that:

Every State shall require the master of a ship f‌l ying its f‌l ag, in so far as he can

do so without serious danger to the ship, the crew or the passengers: (a) to render

assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost; (b) to proceed with

all possible speed to the rescue of persons in distress, if informed of their need of

assistance, in so far as such action may reasonably be expected of him.

Article 98(2) further provides that “all coastal States promote the establi-

shment, operation and maintenance of an adequate and effective search and

rescue service regarding safety on and over the sea and, where circumstances

so require, by way of mutual regional arrangements cooperate with neigh-

bouring States for this purpose.”

The duty to assist in distress as such is not geographically limited in any

way.3 Irrespective of where a vessel encounters another vessel in distress, it

is obliged to assist it. The duty to rescue is further clarif‌i ed in a number of

international maritime law instruments, namely, the Convention for the Safe-

ty of Life at Sea,4 and the International Convention on Maritime Search and

Rescue (hereinafter, SAR Convention).5

2 The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982, entered into

force on 1 November 1994, 1833 UNTS 397.

3 , A.T., , F., The International Law of Migrant Smuggling, Cambridge University

Press, Cambridge, 2014, p. 447. Although Article 98 is located in the Part of UNCLOS con-

cerning the high seas, it is submitted that the duty in question applies in all maritime zones.

4 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1 November 1974, entered into

force on 25 May 1980, 1184 UNTS 278 (SOLAS Convention).

5 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue of 27 April 1979, entered into

force on 22 June 1985, 1405 UNTS 118.