The Northern Fleet conducted a search and rescue exercise in the Arctic, where, according to the scenario, a ship crashed and sank, and its crew members ended up in the water. The search and rescue center analyzed the information and made a decision to search for and provide assistance to the ship in distress, taking into account the difficult climatic conditions of the Arctic – heavy fog, which at times limited visibility to less than 200 m.

“According to the preliminary results of the exercise, the Northern Fleet has all the necessary forces and means, and most importantly, the professionalism and experience in order to provide assistance to those in distress, including along the Northern Sea Route,” said Captain 1st Rank Mikhail Belov, head of the search and rescue department of the Northern Fleet.

The exercise involved the crews of the crane ship KIL-143, the rescue tugboat SB-523 and the sea rescue tugboat Murmanryba of the Northern Expeditionary Detachment of the Federal Agency for Fishery’s emergency rescue service.

A Ka-27 search and rescue helicopter from the search and rescue duty forces was the first to arrive at the scene of the simulated accident. It carried out a radio-technical and visual search for the crash site and gave the exact coordinates to the search and rescue forces of the fleet. After the discovery of people in the water, a rescue paratrooper group aboard the Ka-27 helicopter lifted the victims from the sea surface using the LPG-300 airborne winch.

During the exercise, the search and rescue forces practiced joint actions to lift those in distress from the surface of the sea, deliver them to rescue ships and provide them with the necessary medical assistance.