an emergency deployment system when a large typhoon is approaching or any other large-scale maritime distress is expected to occur. In addition, taking into consideration the situations regarding fishing by fishing vessels, heavy ship traffic, weather and oceanographic conditions and other such factors, JMSA stations patrol vessels and craft in advance in sea areas where there is a strong possibility that distress may occur; thereby making doubly sure of its system to respond promptly to maritime distress.
4. Special Rescue System
(1) Haneda Special Rescue Station
The duty of the Haneda Special Rescue Station is to carry out special rescue operations, such as rescuing ships carrying dangerous cargo when they are in distress, rescuing people trapped within capsized, burning, or sunken ships, and lowering rescue team members down from helicopters to rescue casualties. At present, the Special Rescue Team is composed of four squads and maintains a 24-hour system of readiness to dispatch members to maritime distress incidents nationwide that require its specialized expertise. In 1995, the team was mobilized for 127 cases of special maritime distress and rescued 87 people.
(2) Scuba Diving Vessels
JMSA has designated certain patrol vessels as scuba diving vessels. They carry out scuba diving operations, such as saving people trapped underwater and raising or recovering sunken objects required for criminal investigations or other purposes. Four scuba divers are assigned to each team.
(3) Patrol Vessels with Enhanced Rescue Capabilities
For each of its regional districts, JMSA has designated one vessel from among its scuba diving vessels, for a total of eleven vessels, as "patrol vessels with enhanced rescue capabilities." The purpose of this is to strengthen its rescue capabilities in the case of special maritime distress requiring sophisticated knowledge and techniques, such as measures to prevent capsized ships from sinking, rescuing people from ships on fire and rescue activities in coordination with helicopters. In 1995, JMSA mobilized these vessels for 163 cases of maritime distress rescue to save crew members trapped within ships involved in collisions or that had capsized.
(4) Studies to Respond to Maritime Distress Involving Dangerous Cargo
The types of dangerous cargo transported on the seas are growing in variety every year. Therefore, the difficulty of responding to a maritime accident involving a ship carrying dangerous cargo has increased. In order to cope with this, JMSA is conducting research
