Sir, - I refer to your Editorial "Safety at Sea" (March 5th). As you rightly point out, the RNLI deserves the highest praise and admiration for its unstinting voluntary commitment to marine emergency response and marine safety awareness in Ireland.
The RNLI has operated in Ireland since 1851 and down all those years Irish lifeboat crews have saved the lives of over 8,300 people. As he launched the celebration of the 175th anniversary of this unique organisation on March 4th, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, highlighted the very important role of the RNLI in the overall marine rescue network and paid tribute to the excellent working relations that the organisation has with the Irish Marine Emergency Service of his Department.
Together with the IMES rescue crews, the 600 volunteers of the IMES coastal units, the Naval Service, Air Corps, Garda and Community Inshore Rescue Service, the lifeboats have played a key part in many IMES co-ordinated rescues. It is heartening to know that the resources of all these agencies as part of a unique team, united in a common and noble calling, are available to respond to emergencies when ever the call comes. The teamwork and mutual co-operation between all the agencies is a vital component of the success of our search and rescue network in the many incidents - almost 1,600 last year in which some 6,500 people were saved or assisted - to which they respond.
There appears to be a misunderstanding in your Editorial that agencies other than the RNLI charge for search and rescue operations. There is no charge for search and rescue operations co-ordinated by IMES, where carried out by IMES personnel, the Air Corp, the Naval Service, Garda, the RNLI or the Community Inshore Rescue Service. - Yours, etc.,
Denis Maher, Press Officer, Department of the Marine and Natural Resources, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2.