Indonesian search and rescue personnel pull wreckage of AirAsia flight QZ8501 onto the Crest Onyx ship at sea. (Source: AFP) Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) was rated as one of the best agencies in the world in carrying out search and rescue (SAR) operations during the Asia-Pacific SAR Meeting 2015 held recently in Australia.
Basarnas achieved a grade value of over 90 points, equal to the rates of SAR agencies from advanced countries such as Canada, the US and China.
The result was spurred by Basarnas’s excellent performance in the search and evacuation of Air Asia QZ8501 and Trigana Air IL267 plane crashes.
According to Basarnas Chief Bambang Soelistyo, the agency’s success can help Indonesia build trust with other countries and support President Joko Widodo’s maritime axis policy in protecting sovereignty, consolidating marine security and addressing regional piracy while increasing the country’s position in the international arena.-VNA
