The Region and the Red Cross sign the rescue agreement for the COPLA Plan

The Official Gazette of the Region of Murcia (BORM) publishes in issue number 207, dated September 8, 2026, the resolution of the Secretary General of the Department of Presidency, Youth, Foreign Action and Emergencies giving publicity to the collaboration agreement between the Autonomous Community and the Spanish Red Cross for the execution of maritime rescue operations provided for in the COPLA-2026 Plan. The agreement was signed on August 10, 2026, following authorization from the Governing Council on August 6.

The text, signed by the regional minister Marcos Ortuño Soto and the regional president of the Red Cross in the Region, María Teresa Sánchez Elduayen, is published for the purposes of the provisions of article 6.6 of Law 7/2004, of December 28, on the Organization and Legal Regime of the Regional Administration. The resolution bears the signature of the secretary general, María Caballero Belda, and the official reference NPE: A-080926-4285.

A plan with three decades of history

The COPLA Plan was approved by the Governing Council of the Region of Murcia in 1988 to address emergencies in bathing areas and at sea, and has been updated on several occasions, with its last revision on June 17, 2021. Its objective is to guarantee, throughout the year and especially from June to September and during Holy Week, an effective and coordinated response of the material and personnel resources called upon to intervene in emergencies in inland waters, beaches, and coastal areas of the Murcian coastline.

The aid, surveillance, and rescue operation corresponding to 2026 was approved by the Governing Council on June 4, 2026, and modified on June 24. The plan distinguishes between two levels of emergency: level 0, managed from the CECOPAL of the affected municipality, and level 1, directed from the CECOP of the Autonomous Community. Maritime rescue emergencies are considered level 1 from their onset and are coordinated with the Cartagena Rescue Coordination Center (CCS).

The Red Cross deployment

The Spanish Red Cross, as a collaborating entity of the Autonomous Emergency and Civil Protection System, assumes the role of Sea Operations Coordinator and provides a coastal rescue deployment operated by volunteers, on alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Its commitments include:

• Have four rescue vessels available in San Pedro del Pinatar, Mazarrón, Cabo de Palos, and Los Nietos (Cartagena), equipped even for nighttime operations.
• Mobilize the vessels from San Pedro del Pinatar, Los Nietos, and Mazarrón within a maximum of 45 minutes from the alert, and the one from Cabo de Palos within 60 minutes.
• Label the vessels with the logo of Emergencias Región de Murcia and 112 Región de Murcia (112RM).
• Ensure the training and updating of the crew in nautical matters, sea rescue, and the operationality of the COPLA Plan.
• Designate the Sea Operations Coordinator, who holds the leadership of the Sea Rescue Group.

For its part, the Ministry, through the General Directorate of Citizen Security and Emergencies (DGSCE), manages and coordinates the emergency from the CECARM, establishes operational protocols, and partially contributes to current operating expenses.

Financing and validity

The total budget of the agreement amounts to 225,735.00 euros, of which the Ministry of Presidency, Youth, Foreign Action, and Emergencies contributes 188,113.00 euros and the Spanish Red Cross contributes 37,622.00 euros. The regional contribution is paid upon signing, charged to budget item 11.07.00.223A.480.89, project no. 44.601 “To the Spanish Red Cross for maritime rescue actions Plan COPLA”, from the general budgets of the CARM for 2026.

The agreement shall take effect from its signing until December 31, 2026, and provides for the creation of a monitoring commission with one representative from each party. The collaboration is part of the maritime rescue program that the Red Cross develops in coordination with the State Maritime Safety and Rescue Agency (SASEMAR), which coordinates search, rescue, and pollution control resources from its 20 rescue centers, including the one in Cartagena.

Relevance for the Murcian coast

The publication of this agreement guarantees that the maritime rescue system of the COPLA Plan remains operational throughout the year on the beaches and waters of the Region’s coast, an essential service for the safety of swimmers and sailors in a community with intense tourist and nautical activity. The coordination between the regional Administration, the Red Cross, and SASEMAR reinforces the response capacity for emergencies at sea, from rescues and medical evacuations to vessel towing and the fight against marine pollution.

Source: Official Gazette of the Region of Murcia, number 207, September 8, 2026, I. Autonomous Community, page 20439 (official reference: NPE A-080926-4285).