MOSCOW. Sept 30 (Interfax-AVN) - The rescue vessels and aircraft available to the Russian Navy are in an appalling condition, says a draft strategy for the development of the Russian Navy's search and rescue force.
"More than 70% of the recue ships and boats have exceeded the service life limit. Rescue ships, boats and mini-subs remain in operation with longer periods between scheduled repairs, and over 50% of the rescue ships are being operated with an extended inter-docking period," according to a report circulated before a meeting of the Marine Board on Friday.
The technical condition of search and rescue vessels is too poor to organize effective service in the fleets' bases and responsibility zones, the report says. "There are no rescue ships or technical facilities to be used in complex operations in the ice-sealed zones," it said.
The search and rescue fleet available is insufficient to operate in distant regions of the world ocean, such as the Mediterranean, the Arctic Ocean, the Northeastern Atlantic.
The efficiency of the Navy's search and rescue aviation has gone down, too, according to the report.