The Swedish Maritime Administration has urged the government to allow it to retain responsibility for maritime and air rescue services following an official inquiry into restructuring Sweden's emergency response system.
In a consultation response, the agency addressed proposals in an inquiry titled: "A new domicile strengthens maritime and air rescue services in Sweden".
The inquiry recommends transferring operational maritime and air rescue duties to the Swedish Coast Guard, while responsibility for training, operational development and environmental rescue development would move to the Swedish Civil Defence Agency.
The administration opposed transferring operational duties, arguing that decisions on agency responsibility should prioritise Sweden's wider interests and the life-saving mission.
It also called for the inquiry to examine the potential benefits of keeping current operations within the existing structure.
At the same time, the administration supported transferring overall development and specific training responsibilities for sea and environmental rescue to the Swedish Civil Defence Agency, saying this would help establish a consistent methodology across the sector.
The administration also backed plans to coordinate rescue management with environmental rescue, while maintaining that environmental rescue responsibilities should remain with the agency because of its broader experience in rescue management.