The Commissioner/CEO of the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA), Cllr. Neto Zarzar Lighe Sr. has voiced his commitment to champion an enhanced maritime rescue response regimen that would showcase Liberia as the largest flag state in the world. He was speaking at programs marking the observation of the 16th anniversary of the Monrovia Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRMRCC) on Bushrod Island on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
“The MRMRCC is very important. The emphasis I want to make today is on coordination. I have had informal discussions with the leadership of the Liberia Coast Guard regarding the need to enhance coordination that serves the true purpose of this critical infrastructure through the adoption of a standard operating plan that would guide the different agencies in the maritime sector in the execution of rescue operations,” Commissioner Lighe stated.
According to him, this operating plan would be the brainchild of a technical committee that he will recommend work as quickly as possible to implement it. This committee, he said, would be elevated to the National Maritime Security Committee to ensure that decisions can be taken at the highest level of the sector.
He emphasized that this committee and the standard operating plan will further strengthen the country’s response capabilities and coordination to avoid incidents that could lead to the loss of lives. “I am going to drive this idea to the level of the presidency to get the requisite approval to achieve this,” Commissioner Lighe maintained.
To achieve this critical objective, the LiMA Commissioner/CEO, noted that the Liberia Coast Guard needs to be fully equipped as the operational arm of all rescue operations in the maritime sector to take prompt actions whenever an incident arises through the purchasing of patrol boats by gathering resources from all relevant stakeholders giving the fact that national government is inundated with myriad priority issues that potentially renders it incapable of buying a boat for the Coast Guard through the National Budget. “We have to make the sector better.
” I want to leave the maritime sector better than it was when I inherited it,” Commissioner Lighe said.
The keynote speaker of the event, Mr. Lawrence Barchue, said the MRMRCC is an offspring of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, which sets the framework for IMO member states to coordinate maritime rescue services and ensure that people in distress at sea receive timely assistance.
The former Assistant Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the international maritime body divided the ocean into thirteen (13) search and rescue areas. To this end, there needs to inform maritime administrations and governments across the world that have grown profoundly.
So, he narrated that a meeting was held in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1984, and another meeting was held in 1994 during the heyday of the Liberian civil war. This situation, he said, put Liberia’s quest to host the center for West Africa in harm’s way.
Mr. Barchue stated that other countries opposed the suggestion that Liberia should host the search and rescue coordination center while experiencing war.
Still, the country won the argument because of its position as one of the largest flag states at the time with a huge number of ships flying the Liberian flag.
He stressed that although many people do not recognize the MRMRCC’s significance, it is one of the most significant parts of the international maritime infrastructure.
Mr. John F. Harvey, Deputy Commissioner for Domestic Vessel Registration and Safety, highlighted the critical role the MRMRCC has played in the global maritime search and rescue sector beyond its territorial scope, to the bewilderment of other countries.
He urged the leadership of the rescue coordination center, headed by Mr. Deron Von Ballmoos, to give the celebration of the center’s anniversary a regional flare since it covers five other West African countries for inclusion.
The event brought together stakeholders from the maritime sector of Liberia, including the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, the Ministry of National Defense, represented by the Liberia Coast Guard, and other agencies.
SOURCE: LiMA
