The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility focuses on early warning as a key factor in the face of a maritime emergency. Summer Campaign of Safety in the Recreational Nautical of this year. The campaign sends a simple and clear message: it is vital to have all the means to make an emergency call at hand, since the sooner you notify, the better the response will be and the greater the chances of success. He also remembers that, although the mobile phone is essential for emergencies, coverage can fail at sea, so he recommends the use of VHF radio on channel 16.
Under the slogan ‘An alert in time is your best life saver’ and a video full of emotion, the General Directorate of the Merchant Marine and Maritime Rescue, promoters of the campaign, provide recommendations to reduce the percentage of emergencies that occur through simple actions such as: consult the weather forecast, check that the fuel tank is full and there is enough for the whole crossing, have life jackets for all sailors and review all the safety elements of the boat at the time of departure, including the engine. In this way, the objective is to prevent emergencies and guarantee enjoyment at sea without shocks.
Awareness campaigns work. Proof of this is that the emergencies attended by Salvamento Marítimo related to recreational boating fell by 7 points in the summer of 2023 (48%), compared to the figures of 2022 (55%). “The percentage remains very high and we must work together to continue reducing emergency figures in a sector that is increasingly important at the tourist level and, therefore, at the economic level for our country, without forgetting that navigation must be subject to the environmental and pollution prevention standards established in the maritime environment,” said the director general of the Merchant Marine and president of Salvamento Maritimo, Gustavo Santana.
Dissemination of the campaign on social networks
This year’s Summer Recreational Nautical Safety Campaign is based on the experiences of those involved in the management and care of maritime emergencies, who agree that early warning is the best guarantee to save life in dangerous situations. To this end, it stresses the importance of always having an operational radio service, connected to the VHF channel 16 or, where appropriate, a DSC device, beyond the use of the mobile phone, because in many cases there is no coverage at sea.
An important message to highlight for a sector that grows annually, since more and more citizens choose each summer to spend their holidays on board a recreational boat. For the dissemination of the campaign, social networks will be used, mainly the X and Instagram channels of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (@transportesgob) and Salvamento Marítimo (@salvamentogob). To identify the 2024 campaign, the new tag #Salvate has been established, which summarizes the motto of this edition and adds to those used in previous campaigns, such as #Safe, #SafetyNautica or #Risk0.
The web pages of the Ministry and of Rescue will also be a medium of dissemination and consultation, since users can download a Guide with recommendations for recreational boating and one infographic with the ‘must-haves’ when navigating, as well as a video It shows the possible consequences of a bad forecast.
The Global Figures in Recreational Nautical Emergencies
Last summer, a total of 1,778 emergencies related to nautical activities were attended to: 1.428 with involvement of recreational boats and another 350 with sports and recreational activities. 4,112 people were affected.
The reduction of emergencies has also resulted in a reduction of infringements and proposals for sanctions. In 2023 the maritime service of the Civil Guard carried out a total of 3,830 inspections in sports and recreational boats compared to 4,353 during the year 2022. The number of inspections was also reduced in relation to nautical motorcycles, going from 3,244 inspections in 2022 to 2,703 inspections in 2023. “The data show that users are more generally aware of the increase in safety in navigation and accident prevention,” he said.
The Maritime Captaincies of the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy resolved in 2023 a total of 1,022 sanctioning procedures related to infractions committed by recreational boats and 449 sanctioning procedures in which a nautical motorcycle was involved. The amount collected by the sanctions imposed in these procedures amounts to 1,187,223 euros for recreational boats and 522,378 euros for nautical motorcycles.
The data in Cantabria
In Cantabria (Coordination Center and Maritime Captaincy of Santander), 96 people were treated in emergencies associated with 37 recreational boats and 3 people related to sports and recreational activities.
Link to the campaign: Summer Recreational Nautical Safety Campaign 2024 | Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility
Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O65Qv2KG3sI