National Sea Rescue Institute

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is a voluntary non-profit organisation in South Africa tasked with saving lives through drowning prevention. It operates 49 bases (as of November 2023) comprising coastal stations, inland stations on dams, auxiliary stations and lifeguard units. There are crews on standby at all hours. There are over 1000 volunteers equipped with sponsored rescue craft, rescue vehicles, quad bikes and tractors, supported by an operations department at the head office.

National Sea Rescue Institute

Abbreviation	NSRI
Formation	1967 (1967)
Type	Non-profit organisation
Purpose	Search and rescue
Headquarters	4 Longclaw Drive, Milnerton, Cape Town
Location	South Africa
Region served	Southern Africa
CEO	Dr Cleeve Robertson
Budget	Donations, bequests and sponsorships cover the annual running costs. Use of volunteers avoids a salary bill around R0.5m per annum.
Revenue	R174 million (2021)
Staff	1 455 unpaid volunteers 125 paid lifeguards (during summer)
Website	https://www.nsri.org.za/

The NSRI works closely with other Search and Rescue organisations (22 Squadron SAAF, South African Police Service and South African Maritime Safety Authority) in South Africa.

History

Following an incident at Stilbaai near Mossel Bay on the south coast of South Africa in 1966, in which 17 fishermen drowned after three fishing boats sank in a storm, Miss Pattie Price of Simon’s Town whose own life had been saved by a RNLI lifeboat in the English Channel, wrote a series of letters to the newspapers to advocate for the formation of a sea rescue organisation in South Africa.

Captain Bob Deacon and Ray Lant were the first volunteers to respond to this call and in 1967 the South African Inshore Rescue Service (SAISRS) was started, with a 4.7m inflatable boat donated by the Society of Master Mariners. The SAISRS was later renamed to National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and continues the tradition of operation by volunteers.

List of NSRI Stations

Kleinmond slipway with NSRI station 42 tractor and boat trailer

Kleinmond slipway and jetty seaward side. NSRI station 42 boat alongside

NSRI station 23 RIB on trailer

Station name	Station number	Coordinates	Notes
Bakoven	2	33°57′38″S 18°22′23″E	Coastal
Table Bay	3	33°54′20″S 18°25′14″E	Coastal
Mykonos	4	33°02′50″S 18°02′23″E	Coastal
Durban	5	29°52′26″S 31°03′03″E	Coastal
Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha	6	33°58′03″S 25°38′01″E	Coastal
East London	7	33°01′23″S 27°53′29″E	Coastal
Hout Bay	8	34°03′01″S 18°20′43″E	Coastal
Gordon's Bay	9	34°09′52″S 18°51′35″E	Coastal
Simon's Town	10	34°11′32″S 18°26′04″E	Coastal
Port Alfred	11	33°35′42″S 26°53′27″E	Coastal
Knysna	12	34°04′34″S 23°03′37″E	Coastal
Plettenberg Bay	14	34°03′30″S 23°22′41″E	Coastal
Mossel Bay	15	34°10′50″S 22°08′56″E	Coastal
Strandfontein	16	34°04′40″S 18°34′23″E	Coastal
Hermanus	17	34°26′00″S 19°13′31″E	Coastal
Melkbosstrand	18	33°43′44″S 18°26′18″E	Coastal
Richards Bay	19	28°47′30″S 32°05′01″E	Coastal
Shelly Beach	20	30.808517°S 30.412217°E / -30.808517; 30.412217	Coastal
St Francis Bay	21	34.184333°S 24.8523°E / -34.184333; 24.8523	Coastal
Vaal Dam	22	26.895867°S 28.113433°E / -26.895867; 28.113433	Inland
Wilderness	23	33.9952°S 22.580567°E / -33.9952; 22.580567	Coastal
Lambert's Bay	24	32°05′26″S 18°18′01″E	Coastal
Hartebeespoort Dam	25	25.730167°S 27.86045°E / -25.730167; 27.86045	Inland
Kommetjie	26	34.140833°S 18.328833°E / -34.140833; 18.328833	Coastal
Gauteng	27	26.270759°S 28.112268°E / -26.270759; 28.112268	Inland
Port St Johns	28	31.530022°S 29.4643592°E / -31.530022; 29.4643592	Coastal
Air Sea Rescue	29	33°54′25″S 18°29′31″E	Coastal
Agulhas	30	34.798567°S 20.059433°E / -34.798567; 20.059433	Coastal
Still Bay	31	34.385733°S 21.423917°E / -34.385733; 21.423917	Coastal
Port Edward	32	31.048217°S 30.231167°E / -31.048217; 30.231167	Coastal
Witsand	33	34.391333°S 20.837833°E / -34.391333; 20.837833	Coastal
Yzerfontein	34	33°20′46″S 18°08′59″E	Coastal
Witbank Dam	35	25.9093°S 29.308733°E / -25.9093; 29.308733	Inland
Oyster Bay	36	34.169673°S 24.653434°E / -34.169673; 24.653434	Coastal
Jeffrey's Bay	37	34.048333°S 24.923333°E / -34.048333; 24.923333	Coastal
Theewaterskloof	38	34.176°S 19.262533°E / -34.176; 19.262533	Inland
Rocky Bay	39	30.334283°S 30.733833°E / -30.334283; 30.733833	Coastal
St Lucia	40	28°22′36″S 32°24′49″E	Coastal
Ballito	41	29.437578°S 31.222571°E / -29.437578; 31.222571	Coastal
Kleinmond	42	34.335399°S 19.012628°E / -34.335399; 19.012628	Coastal
Port Nolloth	43	29°14′18″S 16°55′44″E	Coastal
St Helena	44	32°44′52″S 18°00′31″E	Coastal
Strandfontein (Matzikama)	45	31°27′05″S 18°08′00″E	Coastal
Storms River	46	34°01′22″S 23°53′55″E	Coastal, Auxiliary
Kei Mouth	47	32°24′47″S 28°13′20″E	Coastal, Auxiliary
Mdumbi	49	31°33′43″S 29°07′31″E	Coastal, Lifeguards
Umhlange	50	29°43′33″S 31°05′16″E	Coastal

Rescue craft

The NSRI has used a wide range of rescue vessels and types of rescue vessel over the years.

• JetRIB, Four-stroke Yamaha VX1050 Jet Ski with an extension hull and Hypalon pontoons.
• RL 36, 9m deep V, Cold moulded wood:
  • Pearl van Riet, Station 9
• Brede class: (RNLI design)
  • Spirit of Safmarine. Station 10,

Offshore Rescue Craft class

NSRI Station 10's new offshore rescue craft in April 2021 off Miller's Point

The first vessel of the offshore rescue craft (ORC) class vessel was procured from a French boatyard in 2019 and stationed at Durban. The vessel has a 14.8m long composite hull with a 4.8 m beam, and is suitable for search and rescue operations up to 50 nautical miles offshore. The second vessel of the class was finished from an imported set of mouldings and delivered to Station 10 (Simon's Town) from Two Oceans Marine in Cape Town in April 2021. It will be kept ready to launch at a few minutes notice on a cradle in the boathouse.

The rest of the series will be manufactured in Cape Town under license using moulds taken off the second boat's mouldings. The vessel is longitudinally subdivided into forepeak, forward accommodation for survivors, tank space with heads, engine room and steering flat. The superstructure is on the main deck and comprises a watertight wheelhouse, which provides a high centre of buoyancy for self-righting, and has a raised exterior steering position on the port side. The transom has a ladder for boarding from the water and two small platforms just above the waterline. There is a substantial towing bollard on the quarterdeck and a gap in the stern rail at the top of the ladder which also serves as a fairlead for towing lines. The crew seating includes safety belts and shock absorber mountings to mitigate vertical acceleration shock loads.

A track with sliding cars runs around the wheelhouse just below the handrail, providing secure but mobile harness clip-off points for crew working on or traversing the side decks. The handrails on the foredeck and side decks are inset to avoid damage when alongside large vessels in a seaway. There is a small but sturdy davit on the port side suitable for hoisting survivors on board, in clear view of the exterior control point.

Structure is fibre reinforced plastic composite, partly foam cored and partly solid skin with foam cored frames. Structural glass fibres are used for most of the layup, with carbon fibre stiffening where most effective. High density core material is used in heavily loaded components such as engine beds.

Specifications

Specifications:

• Designation ORC 140.RS
• Survivor capacity: 23/24 persons.(sources vary)
• Crew 6
• Expected lifespan: 40 years.
• Self righting by inherent stability when intact
• Original vessel manufacture: France
• Series manufacturer: Two Oceans Marine (Cape Town)
• Cost per vessel: R20 million
• Series cost: R180 million
• Maximum speed of about 28 knots with crew, equipment and full tanks
• Range of 250 nautical miles at 20 knots cruising speed with 25% reserve.
• Length overall 14.8 m
• Moulded length 13.85 m
• Waterline length 13.56 m
• Beam overall 4.8 m
• Beam moulded 4.6 m
• Depth 2.08 m
• Draught (loaded) 1.4 m
• Displacement (light) 15 900 kg according to the stability book
• Displacement (loaded)
• Fuel capacity 2 tanks of 1000 litres each
• Engines: 2 x Cummins QSC 8.3M marine diesels producing 441 kW at ????rpm
• Gearboxes: ZF 370 V, a 10° V-drive, remote mount marine transmission.
• Propellers, rudders and shafts CJR
• Towing bollard rated for 4.5 tonne
• Vessel sound level 76 dB

Names and stations:

• 14-01, Station 5, Durban
• 14-02, "Donna Nicholas", Station 10, Simon's Town, April 2021
• 14-03,

Gallery

External views of the vessel

• 
  Profile from port
• 
  Bow
• 
  Stern
• 
  Port bow

The upper deck

• 
  View from port quarter
• 
  Quarterdeck railings
• 
  Towing gear
• 
  Flying bridge
• 
  Superstructure from aft
• 
  View forward from flying bridge

Deck fittings

• 
  Davit
• 
  Engine room soft patch
• 
  Handrail and jackstay track with car
• 
  Anchor gear and pulpit rail
• 
  Liferaft and forward escape hatch
• 
  Engine freshwater flush connection

Wheelhouse interior

• 
  Helmsman's seat
• 
  Navigation table
• 
  Wheelhouse exterior watertight door
• 
  Port side seating
• 
  Crew seat detail
• 
  Navigators instrument panel

Passenger accommodation

• 
  Forepeak and anchor locker access
• 
  Survivor seating port side
• 
  Galley area and companionway ladder starboard forward
• 
  Seating and watertight door starboard aft
• 
  Companionway ladder and doorway starboard
• 
  Deckhead escape hatch with drop-down ladder looking aft

Tank space

• 
  Starboard tank space
• 
  Heads in port tank space
• 
  Port tank space

Engine Room

• 
  View from forward watertight door
• 
  Starboard engine and gearbox
• 
  Port engine and gearbox
• 
  Port engine aft
• 
  Starboard exhaust

Steering flat

• 
  Port steering ram, tiller, rudder stock and link bar
• 
  Electro-hydraulic steering motor
• 
  Emergency tiller stowed against transom, emergency exit above

Pink Bouy initiative

An NSRI Pink Buoy at a beach with its post and signage.

As part of the NSRI's Drowning Prevention program, starting in 2017, the NSRI started placing Pink Rescue torpedo buoys in strategic locations including inland rivers, dams, and beaches.

Not only are they used for rescues when lifeguards are not around, but they act as a reminder to be careful when you are in the water if there are no lifeguards around.

See also

Similar organisations around the world:

• Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution (Ireland and the United Kingdom)
• Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer (France)
• German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (Germany)
• Norsk Selskab til Skibbrudnes Redning (Norway, also called Redningsselskapet)

External links

• Commons:Category:NSRI 14m offshore class rescue craft
• NSRI homepage
• The ASR, one of the 3 helicopter units of the NSRI
• NSRI Station 2 at Bakoven
• NSRI Station 8 at Hout Bay
• NSRI Station 10 Simon's Town
• NSRI Station 12 at Knysna
• NSRI Station 14 at Plettenberg Bay
• NSRI Station 15 at Mossel Bay
• NSRI Station 19 at Richards Bay
• NSRI Station 18 at Melkbosstrand
• South African Search and Rescue Organisation
• Pink Buoy