Location
The Coast Guard Centre is made up of two closely cooperating services: the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Ostend and the Maritime Security Centre (MIK) in Zeebrugge. The MRCC and the MIK can be compared to the “100” and “101” centres on the mainland. The MRCC is responsible for safety at sea and coordinates rescue operations, while the MIK takes charge of security at sea and ensures that legislation at sea is not violated.
The Coast Guard Centre, together with the vessels, helicopters and surveillance aircraft of the partners, is the eyes and ears that watch over the North Sea. The operators of the Coast Guard Centre watch over the sea with the help of radar images, nautical charts and meteorological data. They also take preventive action to avoid accidents at sea.
The MIK, which is the security component of the centre, is a partnership between the Navy (ministry of Defence), the Maritime and River Police (Federal Police), Customs (Federal Public Service Finance) and the Directorate-General Navigation (Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport). The four services work together to monitor 24/7 whether all laws at sea are being complied with. The operators of the various services are also on the lookout for illegal activities such as human trafficking, drug imports and transit, suspicious ship passages, illegal discharges and prohibited fishing practices by using – among other things – radar images, AIS data, information and data from both internal and external partners. By merging different sources, a picture can be formed of what is happening at sea with the aim of safeguarding safety. When anomalies are detected, it is up to the competent services to take the appropriate measures.
The MRCC is responsible for organising assistance during times of crisis. In the event of a disaster at sea, the governor of West Flanders activates the North Sea emergency plan. Together with his crisis committee, he then coordinates the emergency services from the MRCC crisis room. During a disaster, both the MRCC and the MIK are in direct contact with the government’s crisis centre and with all the air and naval units involved in the emergency services.
The Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Centre do not have their own means, but they can call on the resources of various partners, such as the rescue vessels of Vloot (service of the Flemish Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services), VBZR (volunteer sea rescue service of Blankenberge) and Ship Support (entity with sea intervention vessels), the Defence Seakings, the surveillance aircraft of MUMM (“Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea”), etc. Together with these means, the Coast Guard Centre forms the operational arm of the Coast Guard.