Disaster prevention and emergency management officials of South Korea, China, Japan and Russia have gathered in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok to discuss search and rescue activities in maritime accidents.

Russia’s Itar Tass News Agency reported that the four nations’ disaster prevention and emergency management agencies kicked off a three-day international conference on Tuesday.

The head of Vladivostok’s maritime rescue center said that during the conference, representatives from each of the four nations will explain the system and activities of their respective country’s search and rescue agency and then hold roundtable talks.

In addition, the participants will reportedly discuss a plan to hold joint drills to train for maritime rescue operations and removing maritime pollution in the case of oil spills.

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry’s Far East bureau signed a bilateral agreement with the U.S., China and Japan on search and rescue operations, but not with South Korea.