Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Sadiki chaired the launch of the SAREX Detroit 2024 maritime search and rescue exercise launch in Tangier on Wednesday.
The large-scale exercise of the Tangier Med port will run until May 31, coinciding with the transit operation for Moroccans residing abroad.
It mobilizes significant human and material resources to stimulate a major maritime crisis and test the responsiveness of Moroccan intervention teams, Sadiki said in a press statement.
Several high-ranking officers attended yesterday’s opening ceremony, including representatives of the Royal Armed Forces, the Spanish Guardia Civil, as well as numerous maritime safety and rescue specialists.
According to the event’s official press statement, Morocco’s involvement in this exercise emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in ensuring maritime safety.
The scenario of SAREX Detroit 2024 involves a fire breaking aboard a passenger ship, requiring the emergency evacuation of 60 people, including injured ones.
To address this critical situation, the Royal Navy, the Royal Gendarmerie, the Royal Air Forces, Civil Protection, the General Directorate of National Security, and the Department of Maritime Affairs are working in coalition to successfully carry out this delicate operation.
“It also allows testing the level of efficiency of our technical and material capacities to adequately respond to distress maritime situations,” the minister said.
