National Sea Rescue Institute

Last updated

National Sea Rescue Institute
AbbreviationNSRI
Formation1967;56 years ago (1967) [1]
Type Non-profit organisation
Purpose Search and rescue
Headquarters4 Longclaw Drive, Milnerton , Cape Town
Location
Region served
Southern Africa
CEO
Dr Cleeve Robertson
Budget
Donations, bequests and sponsorships cover the annual running costs. Use of volunteers avoids a salary bill around R0.5m per annum.
Revenue (2021)
R174 million
Staff
  • 1 455 unpaid volunteers
  • 125 paid lifeguards (during summer)
Website https://www.nsri.org.za/

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is a voluntary non-profit organisation in South Africa tasked with saving lives through drowning prevention. It operates 49 bases (as of November 2023) comprising coastal stations, inland stations on dams, auxiliary stations and lifeguard units. There are crews on standby at all hours. There are over 1000 volunteers equipped with sponsored rescue craft, rescue vehicles, quad bikes and tractors, supported by an operations department at the head office. [2]

Contents

The NSRI works closely with other Search and Rescue organisations (22 Squadron SAAF, South African Police Service and South African Maritime Safety Authority) in South Africa.

History

Following an incident at Stilbaai near Mossel Bay on the south coast of South Africa in 1966, in which 17 fishermen drowned after three fishing boats sank in a storm, Miss Pattie Price of Simon’s Town whose own life had been saved by a RNLI lifeboat in the English Channel, wrote a series of letters to the newspapers to advocate for the formation of a sea rescue organisation in South Africa.

Captain Bob Deacon and Ray Lant were the first volunteers to respond to this call and in 1967 the South African Inshore Rescue Service (SAISRS) was started, with a 4.7m inflatable boat donated by the Society of Master Mariners. The SAISRS was later renamed to National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and continues the tradition of operation by volunteers. [3]

List of NSRI Stations

Kleinmond slipway with NSRI station 42 tractor and boat trailer IMG 20200531 142317.jpg
Kleinmond slipway with NSRI station 42 tractor and boat trailer
Kleinmond slipway and jetty seaward side IMG 20200531 142141.jpg
Kleinmond slipway and jetty seaward side. NSRI station 42 boat alongside
National Sea Rescue Institute (15606878942).jpg
NSRI station 23 RIB on trailer
Station nameStation numberCoordinates [4] Notes
Bakoven2 33°57′38″S18°22′23″E / 33.96056°S 18.37306°E / -33.96056; 18.37306 Coastal
Table Bay3 33°54′20″S18°25′14″E / 33.90556°S 18.42056°E / -33.90556; 18.42056 Coastal
Mykonos4 33°02′50″S18°02′23″E / 33.04722°S 18.03972°E / -33.04722; 18.03972 Coastal
Durban5 29°52′26″S31°03′03″E / 29.87389°S 31.05083°E / -29.87389; 31.05083 Coastal
Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha6 33°58′03″S25°38′01″E / 33.96750°S 25.63361°E / -33.96750; 25.63361 Coastal
East London7 33°01′23″S27°53′29″E / 33.02306°S 27.89139°E / -33.02306; 27.89139 Coastal
Hout Bay8 34°03′01″S18°20′43″E / 34.05028°S 18.34528°E / -34.05028; 18.34528 Coastal
Gordon's Bay9 34°09′52″S18°51′35″E / 34.16444°S 18.85972°E / -34.16444; 18.85972 Coastal
Simon's Town10 34°11′32″S18°26′04″E / 34.19222°S 18.43444°E / -34.19222; 18.43444 Coastal
Port Alfred11 33°35′42″S26°53′27″E / 33.59500°S 26.89083°E / -33.59500; 26.89083 Coastal
Knysna12 34°04′34″S23°03′37″E / 34.07611°S 23.06028°E / -34.07611; 23.06028 Coastal
Plettenberg Bay14 34°03′30″S23°22′41″E / 34.05833°S 23.37806°E / -34.05833; 23.37806 Coastal
Mossel Bay15 34°10′50″S22°08′56″E / 34.18056°S 22.14889°E / -34.18056; 22.14889 Coastal
Strandfontein16 34°04′40″S18°34′23″E / 34.07778°S 18.57306°E / -34.07778; 18.57306 Coastal
Hermanus17 34°26′00″S19°13′31″E / 34.43333°S 19.22528°E / -34.43333; 19.22528 Coastal
Melkbosstrand18 33°43′44″S18°26′18″E / 33.72889°S 18.43833°E / -33.72889; 18.43833 Coastal
Richards Bay19 28°47′30″S32°05′01″E / 28.79167°S 32.08361°E / -28.79167; 32.08361 Coastal
Shelly Beach20 30°48′31″S30°24′44″E / 30.808517°S 30.412217°E / -30.808517; 30.412217 Coastal
St Francis Bay21 34°11′04″S24°51′08″E / 34.184333°S 24.8523°E / -34.184333; 24.8523 Coastal
Vaal Dam22 26°53′45″S28°06′48″E / 26.895867°S 28.113433°E / -26.895867; 28.113433 Inland
Wilderness23 33°59′43″S22°34′50″E / 33.9952°S 22.580567°E / -33.9952; 22.580567 Coastal
Lambert's Bay24 32°05′26″S18°18′01″E / 32.09056°S 18.30028°E / -32.09056; 18.30028 Coastal
Hartebeespoort Dam25 25°43′49″S27°51′38″E / 25.730167°S 27.86045°E / -25.730167; 27.86045 Inland
Kommetjie26 34°08′27″S18°19′44″E / 34.140833°S 18.328833°E / -34.140833; 18.328833 Coastal
Gauteng27 26°16′15″S28°06′44″E / 26.270759°S 28.112268°E / -26.270759; 28.112268 Inland
Port St Johns28 31°31′48″S29°27′52″E / 31.530022°S 29.4643592°E / -31.530022; 29.4643592 Coastal
Air Sea Rescue29 33°54′25″S18°29′31″E / 33.90694°S 18.49194°E / -33.90694; 18.49194 Coastal
Agulhas30 34°47′55″S20°03′34″E / 34.798567°S 20.059433°E / -34.798567; 20.059433 Coastal
Still Bay31 34°23′09″S21°25′26″E / 34.385733°S 21.423917°E / -34.385733; 21.423917 Coastal
Port Edward32 31°02′54″S30°13′52″E / 31.048217°S 30.231167°E / -31.048217; 30.231167 Coastal
Witsand33 34°23′29″S20°50′16″E / 34.391333°S 20.837833°E / -34.391333; 20.837833 Coastal
Yzerfontein34 33°20′46″S18°08′59″E / 33.34611°S 18.14972°E / -33.34611; 18.14972 Coastal
Witbank Dam35 25°54′33″S29°18′31″E / 25.9093°S 29.308733°E / -25.9093; 29.308733 Inland
Oyster Bay36 34°10′11″S24°39′12″E / 34.169673°S 24.653434°E / -34.169673; 24.653434 Coastal
Jeffrey's Bay37 34°02′54″S24°55′24″E / 34.048333°S 24.923333°E / -34.048333; 24.923333 Coastal
Theewaterskloof38 34°10′34″S19°15′45″E / 34.176°S 19.262533°E / -34.176; 19.262533 Inland
Rocky Bay39 30°20′03″S30°44′02″E / 30.334283°S 30.733833°E / -30.334283; 30.733833 Coastal
St Lucia40 28°22′36″S32°24′49″E / 28.37667°S 32.41361°E / -28.37667; 32.41361 Coastal
Ballito41 29°26′15″S31°13′21″E / 29.437578°S 31.222571°E / -29.437578; 31.222571 Coastal
Kleinmond42 34°20′07″S19°00′45″E / 34.335399°S 19.012628°E / -34.335399; 19.012628 Coastal
Port Nolloth43 29°14′18″S16°55′44″E / 29.23833°S 16.92889°E / -29.23833; 16.92889 Coastal
St Helena44 32°44′52″S18°00′31″E / 32.74778°S 18.00861°E / -32.74778; 18.00861 Coastal
Strandfontein (Matzikama)45 31°27′05″S18°08′00″E / 31.45139°S 18.13333°E / -31.45139; 18.13333 Coastal
Storms River46 34°01′22″S23°53′55″E / 34.02278°S 23.89861°E / -34.02278; 23.89861 Coastal, Auxiliary
Kei Mouth47 32°24′47″S28°13′20″E / 32.41306°S 28.22222°E / -32.41306; 28.22222 Coastal, Auxiliary
Mdumbi49 31°33′43″S29°07′31″E / 31.56194°S 29.12528°E / -31.56194; 29.12528 Coastal, Lifeguards
Umhlange50 29°43′33″S31°05′16″E / 29.72583°S 31.08778°E / -29.72583; 31.08778 Coastal

Rescue craft

The NSRI has used a wide range of rescue vessels and types of rescue vessel over the years.

Offshore Rescue Craft class

NSRI Station 10's new offshore rescue craft in April 2021 off Miller's Point NSRI Station 10 New rescue vessel.jpg
NSRI Station 10's new offshore rescue craft in April 2021 off Miller's Point

The first vessel of the offshore rescue craft (ORC) class vessel was procured from a French boatyard in 2019 and stationed at Durban. The vessel has a 14.8m long composite hull with a 4.8 m beam, and is suitable for search and rescue operations up to 50 nautical miles offshore. [5] The second vessel of the class was finished from an imported set of mouldings and delivered to Station 10 (Simon's Town) from Two Oceans Marine in Cape Town in April 2021. It will be kept ready to launch at a few minutes notice on a cradle in the boathouse.

The rest of the series will be manufactured in Cape Town under license using moulds taken off the second boat's mouldings. The vessel is longitudinally subdivided into forepeak, forward accommodation for survivors, tank space with heads, engine room and steering flat. The superstructure is on the main deck and comprises a watertight wheelhouse, which provides a high centre of buoyancy for self-righting, and has a raised exterior steering position on the port side. The transom has a ladder for boarding from the water and two small platforms just above the waterline. There is a substantial towing bollard on the quarterdeck and a gap in the stern rail at the top of the ladder which also serves as a fairlead for towing lines. The crew seating includes safety belts and shock absorber mountings to mitigate vertical acceleration shock loads.

A track with sliding cars runs around the wheelhouse just below the handrail, providing secure but mobile harness clip-off points for crew working on or traversing the side decks. The handrails on the foredeck and side decks are inset to avoid damage when alongside large vessels in a seaway. There is a small but sturdy davit on the port side suitable for hoisting survivors on board, in clear view of the exterior control point.

Structure is fibre reinforced plastic composite, partly foam cored and partly solid skin with foam cored frames. Structural glass fibres are used for most of the layup, with carbon fibre stiffening where most effective. High density core material is used in heavily loaded components such as engine beds.

Specifications

Specifications: [5]

  • Designation ORC 140.RS
  • Survivor capacity: 23/24 persons.(sources vary)
  • Crew 6 [ clarification needed ]
  • Expected lifespan: 40 years.
  • Self righting by inherent stability when intact
  • Original vessel manufacture: France
  • Series manufacturer: Two Oceans Marine (Cape Town)
  • Cost per vessel: R20 million
  • Series cost: R180 million
  • Maximum speed of about 28 knots with crew, equipment and full tanks
  • Range of 250 nautical miles at 20 knots cruising speed with 25% reserve.
  • Length overall 14.8 m
  • Moulded length 13.85 m
  • Waterline length 13.56 m
  • Beam overall 4.8 m
  • Beam moulded 4.6 m
  • Depth 2.08 m
  • Draught (loaded) 1.4 m
  • Displacement (light) 15 900kg according to the stability book
  • Displacement (loaded)
  • Fuel capacity 2 tanks of 1000 litres each
  • Engines: 2 x Cummins QSC 8.3M marine diesels producing 441 kW at ????rpm
  • Gearboxes: ZF 370 V, a 10° V-drive, remote mount marine transmission. [6]
  • Propellers, rudders and shafts CJR [ clarification needed ]
  • Towing bollard rated for 4.5 tonne
  • Vessel sound level 76 dB [ clarification needed ]

Names and stations:

  • 14-01, Station 5, Durban
  • 14-02, "Donna Nicholas", Station 10, Simon's Town, April 2021
  • 14-03,
External views of the vessel
The upper deck
Deck fittings
Wheelhouse interior
Passenger accommodation
Tank space
Engine Room
Steering flat

Pink Bouy initiative

An NSRI Pink Buoy at a beach with its post and signage. Pink Buoy 1.jpg
An NSRI Pink Buoy at a beach with its post and signage.

As part of the NSRI's Drowning Prevention program, starting in 2017, the NSRI started placing Pink Rescue torpedo buoys in strategic locations including inland rivers, dams, and beaches.

Not only are they used for rescues when lifeguards are not around, but they act as a reminder to be careful when you are in the water if there are no lifeguards around.

See also

Similar organisations around the world:

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References

  1. ↑ "Our History". NSRI. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  2. ↑ "NSRI Integrated Annual Report 2021" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "History". www.nsri.org.za. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Rescue base finder". www.nsri.org.za. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 "NSRI's ORC project is taking shape". Sea Rescue. Cape Town, South Africa: National Sea Rescue Institute. Summer 2020. pp. 28 to 29.
  6. ↑ "Marine Propulsion Systems ZF 370 V" (PDF). www.performancediesel.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
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