Pictured from left are: Emrick Seymour Assistant Commissioner of Police, Northern Bahamas; Catherine Weech, Hospital Administrator, Grand Bahama Health Services; Capt Stephen Russell, Director, NEMA; Alexander Williams, Administrator, City of Freeport District; Capt. Todd Lutes, 7th Coast Guard District Chief of Incident Management Branch; Paul Culver, Black Swan Exercise Director; and Michael McGarry, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Cruise Lines International Association. (BIS Photo/Vandyke Hepburn)
|
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, cruise line industry, emergency
response teams and key Bahamas government officials participated in
the Black Swan Exercise, April 2 – 4, 2013.
The three-day exercise, designed to better understand each
agencies’ capabilities and concerns during a maritime mass rescue
event, involved testing emergency procedures, search and rescue coordination,
abandon ship process and accountability of passengers and crew, and
landing site management and medical surge procedures.
One of the National Emergency Management Agency’s
objectives was to conduct an exercise in Grand Bahama to ensure that
the local assets were further strengthened in managing an event. The
local Emergency Operations Centre was fully activated to determine the
ability of the personnel to assess events and make sure corrective measures
are carried out.
“The efforts of the local Red Cross and the Salvation
Army at the landing site are to be commended. They were able to provide
the passengers and support team refreshments at the site. The efforts
of the medical teams from the Rand Memorial and the U.S. FAST Team who
came to provide assistance to the injured persons are to also be commendable.
I am also pleased with the support of the US Coast Guard and the US
Coast Guard air assets, which medically evacuated persons for care and
attention,” said Director of NEMA Captain Stephen Russell.
Coast Guard crews involved
in the exercise included members aboard the Coast Guard Cutters Joshua Appleby, Tarpon
and Diamondback. Crewmembers from the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association
(BASRA) and Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) also participated in
the exercise.
Cruise line assets involved in the exercise were
Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Sea and Norwegian Sky, both of which
were utilized for an evacuation drill of passengers and tendering to
port. Carnival Cruise Line provided family guest care facilities and
Norwegian Cruise Lines provided landing site forward teams.
Coast Guardsmen throughout
the service train daily in different mission areas to better improve
individual skills and proficiency within their designated jobs. Preventing
and responding to an emergency offshore or onshore marine incident falls under the Coast Guard's Search and Rescue and environmental protection
mission.
“Our engagement with the Bahamian government, cruise
line industry and other key partners continues to be highly beneficial,”
said Capt. Todd Lutes, 7th Coast Guard District
Chief of Incident Management Branch. “We’ve been coordinating these exercises over
the past few decades as one of many processes to continually improve
maritime safety of passengers and crews. The Coast Guard’s coordination
with multiple agencies during the three-day joint exercise was seamless
in exercising these procedures.”
“The cruise
industry was pleased to take part in this exercise, and CLIA wishes
to thank the U.S. Coast Guard, NEMA, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian
for their efforts in making the exercise a great success,"
said Christine Duffy, president and CEO, Cruise Lines International
Association. "The exercise further strengthens the cruise industry's
unwavering commitment to emergency preparedness in coordination with
the Coast Guard and other government authorities. It also underscores
the focus we maintain on our number one priority: the safety and comfort
of our guests.”
The Black Swan is an international
exercise designed to maintain and build upon a strong track record of
continuous improvement in safety. The exercise incorporates interagency
and multilateral efforts across different industry and government agencies
and the United States Embassy in Nassau.
Approximately 200 personnel participated
including 137 volunteers participated in the Black Swan exercise. The
majority of these people were members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.