HM Coastguard

Passengers were rescued from the River Thames today after a passenger vessel caught fire.    All the people on board the vessel have been accounted for and no serious injuries have been reported. At 11.56am the passenger vessel Cleopatra with 30 people on board, contacted the Port of London Authority and requested assistance from London Fire Brigade’s boat.   London Coastguard was immediately alerted to the incident and requested the assistance of vessels in the area and the launch of both Tower and Chiswick RNLI lifeboats. The vessel suffered a fire on board and passengers evacuated the vessel into waist deep water between Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge   Seconds later three commercial RHIBs nearby attended and recovered people from the water and landed them at a nearby pontoon.   London Fire Brigade’s boat was also on scene and the fire was extinguished. Tower and Chiswick RNLI lifeboats and the Police helicopter searched the water to ensure nobody was unaccount

The timetable for completing the modernisation of Her Majesty’s Coastguard has been announced. The new national network is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015, with the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) operating from autumn 2014. The introduction of the national network will enable the NMOC and all the other 10 Coastguard Operation Centres (CGOC) to work together to manage the workload on a national scale. This means in a search and rescue incident, even though the coordination will still be managed by the relevant CGOC, there will be a much bigger and better support network available nationally. There will be no reduction in rescue resources, which remain unchanged by the modernisation of HM Coastguard. The availability of Coastguard Rescue Teams, lifeboats, rescue helicopters and other rescue assets will be unaffected. A key outcome from the modernisation plan is more rewarding Coastguard jobs, with additional responsibilities and th

A man and his five-year-old daughter have been safely guided back to shore after becoming lost in their boat in thick fog off Padstow. Falmouth Coastguard received a 999 call just before 6.20pm this evening from the man who said he’d lost track of where he was. He had to call the Coastguard on his mobile phone as his VHF radio on board wasn’t working. Falmouth Coastguard talked the man through his recent passage, taking in time and direction, before piecing together where the boat was likely to be. Once a location had been determined, a Pan Pan alert was broadcast to see if any other boats in the area could help. A nearby fishing vessel responded and managed to locate the man and his daughter approximately 4 miles off shore. They were then guided back to Padstow, where they were met by the Padstow Coastguard Rescue Team. Simon Dennis, Watch Officer at Falmouth Coastguard, said: "It was lucky that this man managed to get in touch with us so we could help tra

A man has been taken to hospital after his fishing boat capsized near South Rock, Northern Ireland . Belfast Coastguard received a Mayday call at around 12:30pm today from the man on board the boat, who reported it was rapidly taking on water and sinking. Belfast Coastguard repeatedly tried to get in touch with the vessel, but had no response. They then sent the Irish Coast Guard Helicopter, RNLI Donaghadee Lifdboat, Portaferry RNLI Inshore Lifeboat, along with Coastguard Rescue Teams from Portaferry and Bangor , to his last reported position. The man was spotted in the water and recovered by Portaferry Inshore Lifeboat. He was then winched onto the Coast Guard Helicopter and taken to the Royal Hospital , Belfast .   Ian Graham, Watch Manager at Belfast Coastguard, said: "We had to act quickly, with limited information, when we couldn't make further contact with the boat. "Knowing the boat was taking on a lot of water, we sent se

Swansea Coastguard is urging members of the public to check weather and sea conditions and to heed safety warnings following a number of incidents today where weather was a contributory factor. Two kayakers were reported as being trapped against a headland at Porlock, Minehead this afternoon. Minehead Coastguard Rescue Team and RNLI lifeboat went to investigate. When they arrived, they found the two kayakers on the beach, exhausted by the conditions but otherwise unharmed. The two were escorted off the beach An hour later Lynmouth Coastguard Rescue Team assisted nine people who had become stranded on the coastal path due to the severe wind, the party were escorted off the coastal path and to safety. A skipper attempted to refloat his vessel which was beached at Cefn Sidan Sands. Despite being advised against this, due to adverse weather conditions, the man continued and spent some hours in his attempt. Lifeboats stood off to ensure his safety and the man was eventually per

Two men have been rescued after their fishing boat sank early this morning near Christchurch , Dorset . Solent Coastguard received numerous 999 calls at around 8am this morning reporting a red distress flare west of the Needles lighthouse. The Needles Coastguard Rescue Team was sent to investigate and reported back that they could see a liferaft out to sea. The RNLI Yarmouth all-weather lifeboat was then launched along with the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Lee-on-Solent. The two men were then recovered from their liferaft and taken back to shore by the lifeboat where they were checked over by ambulance crews.   It’s thought they had been out in their liferaft for at least two hours. Other than being cold, they didn’t require any further medical attention.   Matt West, Watch Manager at Solent Coastguard, said:   "It appears this fishing vessel suffered problems early this morning, and sank quickly. So much so that the two men on boa

At 4.05pm today Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received a 999 emergency call from a member of the public who had witnessed a shore based fisherman entering the water at Ramore Head, Portrush. Belfast Coastguard immediately requested helicopter assistance. The Irish Coastguard Rescue helicopter is searching the area, and both the Portrush RNLI all-weather and inshore lifeboats from are on scene searching for the man.   Coastguard Rescue Teams from Ballycastle and Colraine are on scene, searching the surrounding area. There are also three local vessels assisting with the search. Belfast Coastguard Watch Manager, Graeme Watters said This man was fishing in a party of three. We do not know how he came to be lost in the water, but we have many assets supporting in the search.

Just after 5pm today Falmouth Coastguard received a VHF call from a fishing vessel which had taken on water. The vessels pumps on board were failing and they needed assistance. Falmouth Coastguard requested the RNLI Lifeboat from Penlee to the scene, which was South South East of the Tater du Lighthouse. Falmouth Coastguard broadcast a mayday relay message and a fisheries patrol vessel also attended. The RNLI lifeboat was on scene within minutes. The RNLI crewmen had taken pumping equipment and were able to assist the Fishing vessel pump out the flooded fish room. The vessel was then able to make its own way back to port. Richie Williams, Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager said, The vessel is now making good headway to Newlyn with the lifeboat alongside. It is vital to keep all safety equipment, including pumping gear in good working order.

GPS, short for Global Positioning System, is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information anywhere on earth as long as you are in range of four or more satellites. This information is then displayed on a stand alone GPS, for example next to the chart table or a handheld device, your car satnav or even on your smart phone or mobile device. Most GPS also provide you with a direction or course you are travelling and a speed, however both of those are calculated on historic data trying to predict where you are going if you do not change your direction and speed. However, if there is no charting or route planning data associated, this will only be a number of digits that have to be converted into usable data using a map or chart. Before you can start to work out your position – the point on the earth where you are at this moment, you have to “plot” or mark this on a chart (at sea) like this one of the Thames Estuary or a map (on land). First,

HM Coastguard is again warning people of the dangers of jet skis and personal watercraft (PWC) after a busy summer in North Wales . Between 1 May and 1 September this year, Holyhead Coastguard dealt with almost 30 incidents involving PWCs. These ranged from mechanical issues, running out of fuel or even concern that PWCs were too close to shore or endangering swimmers.    In one incident over the recent bank holiday weekend, a man and a woman suffered serious injuries after two jet skis collided near Porthmadog. Another incident over the same weekend in Abersoch left a boy with minor injuries after the kayak he was in was struck by a jet ski.   Ray Carson, Rescue Coordination Centre Manager at Holyhead Coastguard, said:    "The majority of PWC users are responsible and often assist us during search and rescue incidents. However, during the summer months we have received complaints that jet skis and PWCs have gone too fast and too close to shore

A 35 metre unmanned barge that was being taken from Stromness to Lowestoft has been reconnected to its towing vessel. Humber Coastguard was first contacted by the towing vessel just before 3am this morning, which reported that the barge was drifting after the tow had parted. The vessel had made a number of attempts to reconnect but was struggling to do so. The wind at the time was a North Westerley force 6 (25-30mph) with a 3-4 metre swell. The RNLI Hartlepool all-weather lifeboat was asked to assist and see if they could help reconnect the tow. Another tug vessel was also sent to help. By this time, there was concern the barge was drifting close to the Teeside offshore wind farm but after a number of attempts, the tow was finally reconnected just after 5am. Mike Puplett, Watch Manager at Humber Coastguard, said: "This was a tricky operation in difficult weather conditions. Once made aware the barge was drifting towards the windfarm, we wanted to make su

The skipper of a French fishing vessel has been ordered to pay £11,155 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to endangering his vessel and crew together with failing to keep a proper look-out after falling asleep.   On the afternoon of Wednesday 28 August 2013 the fishing vessel ‘Scuderia’ sailed from Roscoff in northern France towards fishing grounds off the Lizard Peninsula . At about 10.30pm the vessel ran aground at Lankidden Cove between Cadgwith and Coverack.       Falmouth Coastguard was contacted at 11.01pm and an emergency response activated, with the Lizard RNLI lifeboat attending together with the Porthoustock Coastguard Rescue Team. None of the 5 crew was injured but the forward fuel tank had been ruptured, with the loss of approximately 10 tonnes of diesel. An anti-pollution and salvage operation was put in place and the vessel was refloated on Monday 2 September 2013 . Pollution was minimal with no longer term problems anticipated.   The 38-

The French fishing vessel which ran aground on the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula last week, has now safely arrived at Falmouth Docks.   At just after 11pm last Wednesday (28 August), the vessel Scuderia contacted Falmouth Coastguard reporting that they had run aground at Lankidden Cove, between Cadgwith and Coverack. The Porthoustock Coastguard Rescue Team and the RNLI lifeboat from Lizard were sent to the scene, but it was not possible to refloat the vessel.   The five crew members on board were not hurt, but one of the vessel’s fuel tanks was damaged, with the loss of approximately 10 tonnes of fuel. A boom was put around the vessel to contain the leaking fuel.   Salvors were appointed to stabilise the vessel, remove the remaining fuel on board and recover the vessel. It was successfully refloated at 3pm yesterday afternoon with the aid of buoyancy bags, with no further reports of any pollution.   Overnight, it was securely moored to a buoy off Falmouth un