A new SNSM station is now operational in Saint Barth, as part of the organization’s ongoing rescue efforts in the French West Indies. La Societe Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer is France’s National Society for Rescue at Sea, and functions as a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide a public service in the rescue of boats and people in difficulty at sea. Islands such as Martinique and Guadeloupe have a senior SNSM representative on each island, and the first SNSM lifeboat station was established at Fort de France ( Martinique) in 1976. Additional stations were opened in Guadeloupe in the 1970s and 80s, and finally in Saint Martin in 2000. The SNSM works closely with the US Coast Guard, and other international rescue organizations.
Successful Sea Rescue by SNSM of St. Martin, Maritime Agencies and a Passing Container Ship
In Saint Barth, the president of the SNSM station is Ingenu Magras. The station will have a new 10.5-meter rescue boat that will be delivered in late 2006, and will be installed along the south side of the commercial dock in Public. While waiting for this new boat to be delivered, the Saint Barth station is using a 9-meter rescue boat, the Contre-Amiral Noel, which came over from St. Martin earlier this year.
Contact: Ingenue Magras
05 90 27 70 41 (Saint Barth sailing school)
For rescue at sea in waters of Saint Barth:
CROSS (Centres Regionaux Operationnels de Surveillance et de Sauvetage), Martinique
05 96 70 92 92
