On behalf of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) and the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij – KNRM), it is our great privilege to invite you to join us in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on 18-21 June 2023, for the World Maritime Rescue Congress (WMRC) 2023. This will be the fifth iteration of the quadrennial World Maritime Rescue Congress, where search and rescue practitioners, industry and governments join together to share experience and best practice and to set the course for the future of maritime SAR. The first congress was hosted in 2007 at the 20th International Lifeboat Conference in Sweden and has since travelled to Shanghai, China in 2011, Bremerhaven, Germany in 2015 and Vancouver, Canada in 2019.  

The theme for WMRC 2023 will be “Towards sustainable maritime SAR – building on our history to secure our future”, which we hope will enable participants to benefit from lessons learnt, whilst getting an insight into innovations, technologies and environmental impact, that will help shape maritime SAR operations of the future. 

We are especially pleased that the venue for the Congress will be held onboard the SS Rotterdam, the iconic former flagship of the Holland-America line, now a hotel and conference venue permanently moored in the heart of Rotterdam.

We hope you will want to participate in WMRC 2023, and we look forward to welcoming you to Rotterdam!