ISMERLO

The International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office ("ISMERLO") was established in 2003. It was initially established by NATO and the Submarine Escape and Rescue Working Group (SMERWG) to assist in the global coordination of submarine search and rescue operations.

The need for international coordination of submarine rescue following a submarine incident was identified before the disaster of the Russian submarine K-141 Kursk. However, the Kursk provided the driving force for ISMERLO's ultimate establishment. The Kursk accident, underlined by other peacetime submarine disasters, drove the need for an international liaison service to coordinate rescue efforts in case of further submarine disasters and make those accidents less likely to occur and the ability to quickly respond on a global basis if they did occur. This has evolved into ISMERLO.

This office consists of an international team of submarine escape and rescue experts based at Norfolk, Virginia, USA. The aim of ISMERLO is to establish endorsed procedures as the international standard for submarine escape and rescue using consultation and consensus among submarine-operating nations. Advice on training and procurement as well as an inspection and monitoring service is also a task assumed by this organization. The principal tool the organization provides is its web-based coordination tools. The website located at www.ismerlo.org provides sources of information about Submarine Escape and Rescue (SMER) and to facilitate the rapid call out of international rescue systems in the event of a submarine accident.

The SMERWG is the authority for ISMERLO. All submarine operating nations are strongly recommended to attend. SMERWG covers technical and procedural issues concerning all aspects of the subject with the aim of sharing information and establishing mutually accepted standards for design and operation of SMER systems. This is also a forum wherein problems are briefed, exercises and their lessons learned discussed, and invitations to attend or observe those exercises are and or made. It is a gathering of the principal experts in this field and is an opportunity to establish contact with them that is unmatched.