Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre is located on Fort George Hill, overlooking the town of St. George's (A United Nations World Heritage Site) and the deep water approaches off Bermuda's East end. Previously named Riche's Mount, the site was originally chosen by Governor Richard Moore in 1612 for the erection of a wooden lookout tower. In 1619 this structure was destroyed by a hurricane, but was re-built by Governor Nathaniel Butler who mounted a "warning gun" in front of the new tower as well. The lookout tower is believed to have been left essentially unchanged until 1783 when the American War of Independence ended.

The fort was then extensively re-built by Captain Andrew Durnford of the Royal Engineers, and upon completion in 1788 was re-named Fort George in honor of the reigning monarch King George III. A semaphore telegraph station was established, while the mounting of a defensive armament of two 12 pound guns and two 9 pound guns in 1798 provided Bermuda with further protection from enemy ships, and served as a deterrent to Bermudian vessels engaged in illegal trade.

When the Royal Naval Dockyard was established at Ireland Island in 1809 Fort George was again extensively re-built, with construction completed in the 1840's. Changes in armament included the addition of 64 pound rifled muzzle loaders on the Eastern and Western flanks, while 11 inch rifled muzzle loaders were supplied in 1871 by the Royal Gun Factory at Woolwich Arsenal, London. Weighing 25 tons each, the Royal Cypher of Queen Victoria can still be seen on the top of the barrels. While the Eastern and Western guns are now missing - the fort structure remains unchanged even today.

Operated by the Bermuda Government under the Department of Marine & Ports Services, several key functions are provided in support of the local and international maritime community. These include the role of Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC), Vessel Traffic Surveillance (VTS) and the all important communication functions associated with a Coast Radio Station (CRS).

We are well equipped to assist you, are you equipped to assist yourself ?

The Maritime Operations Centre maintains a 24 hour distress watch on the international distress frequencies of 2182 kHz, 4125kHz and VHF Channel 16 as well as the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Digital Selective Call (DSC) distress frequencies of 2187.5 kHz and VHF Channel 70.  NAVTEX broadcasts are also undertaken on frequency 518 kHz with NAVTEX messages typically being received out to at least 300 miles of Bermuda.  Notices to Mariners, Local Navigational Warnings, Atlantic and Bermuda marine weather forecasts are all broadcast around the clock according to an internationallly published schedule.

Mid-Atlantic as we are, there is nothing straight forward about rescue... While the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) holds responsibility for the co-ordination of Search and Rescue (SAR) around the island generally, normally a rescue effort out to 30 miles from shore is all that can be undertaken on a consistent basis with the limited resources available locally.  However in all SAR cases, best use of all available resources is essential and this typically will also lead to merchant vessels in transit through the Bermuda area being located and asked to divert to an incident position and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft support may also be requested.  Through international maritime and aeronautical SAR agreements the United States holds ultimate responsibility for search and rescue in the Western Atlantic and Bermuda's geographic position mid-Atlantic lends itself nicely to the staging of rescue missions many hundreds of miles into the Atlantic.

A team stands ready locally... Search and Rescue services in Bermuda are provided through the combined efforts of a number of Bermuda Government agencies. These include the Department of Marine and Ports Services, the Bermuda Police Marine Section and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.  A variety of vessels suitable for work in both the shallow reef areas or the oceanic environment can be tasked as the need arises.

RCC Bermuda forms an integral part of a network of rescue centres around the world. Participation in an Inmarsat satellite alerting system called SARNet gives RCC's in Canada, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Spain, Finland and the United Kingdom the ability to broadcast information of common interest quickly and reliably. RCC Bermuda is the COSPAS-SARSAT Search and Rescue Point of Contact for Bermuda registered EPIRB or ELT alerts and with Bermuda registered ships and aircraft operating world-wide, SAR missions require a global outlook. 

A combination of Technology and People working to provide Maritime Domain Awareness... 

Maritime Domain Awareness represents one of the biggest challenges today for any country with a coast-line. Fortunately the global security concerns that have forced the ships and ports to adapt a host of new security measures have been easily adapted into our existing border security infrastructure - an infrastructure born out of hard learned lessons involving near disasters from pollution and experience with air-sea rescue.  

Use of a radar surveillance system to protect Bermuda's marine environment from the effects of pollution resulting from a vessel stranding on our reefs has been undertaken since 1986. This permits the monitoring of vessel movements ito ensure that they keep clear of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) sanctioned Area To Be Avoided - a 'no go' zone around the island to protect our reefs.

The perimeter of the Area to Be Avoided extends out to 20 miles North of Bermuda and the radar surveillance system uses a combination of sophisticated radar sensors interfaced to a Norcontrol IT Vessel Traffic Surveillance System.  Merchant vessels in transit past Bermuda are directed, where necessary, to keep clear of the ATBA while inbound and outbound ship and recreational boating traffic is all monitored to and from port.  

Welcome to Bermuda, again and again...

Over 1000 private vessels call at Bermuda annually - transiting to North American or European ports from the Caribbean in the spring, and returning to the Caribbean from the U.S. and Canada in the fall months. All vessels approaching or departing Bermuda should contact Bermuda Radio.  Besides the processing of vessels through customs and immigration, detailed information on all private vessels calling at Bermuda are kept on file in the interest of safety and such detailed information is used to good effect in the event that the vessel gets into difficulty or is reported overdue.  It is data that is invaluable in the early stages of Search and Rescue planning - and can either expedite rescue, or prevent rescue units being dispatched unnecessarily in cases where a false distress alert may have occurred. 

And we understand the business of shipping too...

The Bermuda ship registry continues to grow with owners of ships and yachts alike recognizing the quiet prestige and quality oversight that the Department of Maritime Administration offers.  We too recognize that with ship registration comes responsibility, and the Maritime Operations Centre maintains a global watch for Bermuda registered vessels (and aircraft) who may get into difficulty.  Day or night, ship owners, managers and other search and rescue agencies around the world expect a response - and we give it.  

In 2009 a total of 412 ships and 868 private yachts called into Bermuda while 264 ships transited within 50 miles of the island compared to 312 in 2008 which indicates the need for continued vigilance in this busy area of the Atlantic.