The current operational figures for this year’s water sports season once again underscore the need for a professional organization like SeaHelp, which offers breakdown assistance and many other services for the European pleasure boating industry.
More and more sports skippers appreciate the advantages of a membership with SeaHelp, the “yellow angels” on the water. Whether towing or jump-starting, fuel service, spare parts deliveries, towing free in case of light grounding, clearing lines in the propeller, passenger transport, weather and area advice or telephone assistance in medical emergencies – SeaHelp’s nautical breakdown service was available to its members around the clock during the past water sports season, providing help and advice.
Within the area of responsibility of the MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) Rijeka with its eight subordinate regional MRSC (Maritime Rescue Sub-Center Pula, Rijeka, Senj, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Ploče, Dubrovnik), a total of 463 search and rescue operations at sea were carried out in the period from January 1 to October 15, 2024, which are divided into different categories, similar to SeaHelp.
The increase in medical assistance in the form of a medico transport or medical advice by 74 percent is striking. An increased number of swimming accidents (from 7 to 18) and injured persons (from 18 to 28) was also recorded. By contrast, there was less material damage, with the number of collisions falling by as much as 67 percent and the number of sunken boats by half (50 percent).
Where the work of SAR and MRCC ends, the work of SeaHelp begins
Situations in which human lives are in danger are mostly handled by rescue boats within the Croatian SAR (Search And Rescue). Exactly where the work of SAR and the MRCC Rijeka ends , SeaHelp’s work begins – providing professional breakdown assistance and technical support for boats and their crews in distress, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“Our annual statistics for 2024, collected at the end of the season on October 15, showed that the number of deployments in Croatia this year, compared to last year, increased slightly by more than two percentage points (specifically, 2.39 percent).” Sea-Help managing director Wolfgang Dauser says.
Increases in rescues, power outages, fuel and technical problems on board
In the area of recreational boat rescues, there were significantly more operations in Croatia than in 2023; the yellow, powerfully motorized rescue boats, equipped for all emergencies, also had to help more often with fuel and technical problems, and especially with power failures on board. This clearly underscores the need for a modern breakdown assistance service for recreational boating, particularly in the popular Adriatic coastal country of Croatia, according to Dauser.
Specifically, in the past season ’24, most of the missions were triggered by power failures on board (+70 percent compared to the previous year), followed by rescues of pleasure boats (+30 percent), assistance due to lack of fuel (+18 percent), and the rectification of technical problems on board (+14 percent compared to 2023).
The largest boat towed last season
The largest boat to be “hooked” this season was a 28.5-meter-long motor sailer (width: 7.50 meters) that was unable to maneuver due to a rudder damage. No problem for the two SeaHelp rescue boats Korčula and Šolta, which towed the 155-ton superyacht safely to the ACI marina, a distance of five hours. (Read article)
Slight decline in deployment figures in Italy
In Italy, like Croatia an important operational area for SeaHelp, there was a slight decline in deployment figures (minus three percent) compared to the previous year; nevertheless, the breakdown service in Italy was in high demand again last season. The most frequent calls for assistance here were for towing (+3 percent compared to 2023), assistance with minor grounding, and fuel problems on board.
SeaHelp CEO Wolfgang Dauser, who himself spent several weeks in Croatian waters by boat this year, is satisfied with the operational figures for the 2024 season, which is coming to an end: “The number of missions carried out and the type of assistance provided once again impressively demonstrate the importance of our modern, always-on-call European breakdown assistance service on the water”.
Further information on membership and services at SeaHelp: CLICK HERE!
