Search and Rescue (SAR) classes were given to Cameroon Navy and Air Force officers at Douala Air Force Base. The SAR mission flew over Cameroon waters with the country’s Air Force and Navy riders on board the P-3.

At the end of the exercise, the armed forces of Cameroon honed their ability to locate a vessel in distress and rescue survivors utilising a combination of search aircraft, rescue vessels and their newly fielded Automatic Identification System (AIS).

Designed to track merchant ships at sea, AIS provides rescuers with improved situational understanding and a point of reference for vectoring rescue vessels onto the scene of maritime accidents. Combined with the improved coordination between the naval and air assets, the Armed Forces of Cameroon can now better control territorial waters and assigned areas of responsibility for search and rescue operations.

A SAR mission later flew over Equatorial Guinea waters, with Cameroon and Equato Guinean officers on board the P-3, joined together in a combined training exercise. Working with their American counterparts, representatives from both countries flew on board the US Navy aircraft to locate and rescue a simulated vessel in distress. The cooperation between these two neighboring countries ensures that search and rescue operations increase in effectiveness and that maritime safety remains a top priority in the Gulf of Guinea .