The Maritime Search and Rescue Council supported a major regional training programme in Mahajanga, Madagascar, aimed at strengthening cooperation, operational capability and professional standards across the region.
Sources indicated on 5 October 2026 that the course was hosted by the National Maritime Education School, known by its French acronym ENEM, in Mahajanga, where it brought together maritime professionals from eight countries to take part in a coordinated search and rescue training effort; the report described the initiative as a significant step in regional SAR cooperation and capability-building.
Scope and participation
The programme was described in the report as regional in scope and as having assembled maritime professionals from eight countries, reflecting a multi-state commitment to shared training and interoperability, and the Maritime Search and Rescue Council's backing underlined the exercise's standing as a major capacity-building activity for the area.
Host and delivery
ENEM in Mahajanga acted as the local host institution for the training programme, providing the venue and organisational framework for the sessions, and the report noted that the arrangement brought external support and a regional cohort of practitioners together under one roof to focus on common standards and procedures.
The stated aims of the event were concentrated on three linked priorities: improving cooperative working between national services, raising operational capability in maritime search and rescue tasks and reinforcing professional standards among personnel who respond to incidents at sea, a combination the report presented as essential to effective regional response.
Bringing practitioners from multiple countries into common training makes it possible to work on harmonising approaches to incident management, communications and shared procedures, and the report suggested that such harmonisation can reduce friction when incidents cross national boundaries or demand joint action, which was presented as a motivating factor for the council's support.
The MSARC's endorsement of the Mahajanga programme was reported as part of a wider pattern of regional capacity-building activities, with the council's involvement lending institutional weight to the initiative and signalling an intent to strengthen both routine and surge response capabilities across maritime services in the area.
Taken together, the activity reported on 5 October 2026 points to an ongoing emphasis on collaborative training and professional development in maritime search and rescue, with ENEM's hosting and the participation of practitioners from eight countries presented as tangible steps towards improved regional cooperation and operational readiness.
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