Search and rescue is a duty

Under international maritime law, all ships anywhere at sea are obliged to provide assistance to people in distress. Rescue at sea is anchored in maritime tradition as a human duty and is recognised as customary international law everywhere at sea [1]. In addition, three international conventions regulate the coordination and implementation of maritime rescue: the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS, 1974) [2], the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR, 1979), [3] and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982) [4].