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Showing posts from January, 2014

HM COASTGUARD URGES PEOPLE NOT TO TAKE RISKS

As the Met Office has warned of strong winds and heavy rain, HM Coastguard is urging people to take extra care. In some parts of the country, conditions on the sea and along the coast are extremely treacherous with gale-force winds, high tides and heavy rain. Sending units to help people in these types of avoidable incidents will also put rescue teams at risk. If you do decide to venture out, check the prevailing weather conditions and make sure that you can handle them. If you are taking photos of the sea, take care, a great photo is not worth risking your life for. If in doubt, don’t go out. Some sections of the coast are also particularly vulnerable to cliff falls and landslips. We are again advising the public to take great care when walking on cliff paths or along beaches, and take note of any warning signs in place. HM Coastguard’s advice is simple: don’t take risks. But if you do get into difficulty, or spot someone who might be in trouble, call 999 and ask for the Coast

LAND AND AIR SEARCH FOR MISSING ANGLER

A massive land and sea search is taking place off the  North Yorkshire  coast to find a missing angler. The man had been angling at Hundale Point, near  Scarborough , but failed to return home at  9:30pm  yesterday when planned. Humber Coastguard is currently coordinating a search and rescue operation after the man’s concerned wife informed police. A search and rescue helicopter from RAF Boulmer, RNLI inshore and offshore lifeboats from  Scarborough , along with Coastguard rescue teams from  Scarborough , Burniston and Ravenscar are currently on scene. Mike Green, Watch Manager at Humber Coastguard, said: “The search has been taking place since  4am  and we are focussing on searching an area of coastline two miles either side of Hundale Point and two miles out to sea. “It is quite a complex operation, as the local coastline has very steep, craggy cliffs.” The missing man’s two dogs are alive at the scene and are being recovered by coastguard rescue teams.

MCA STATEMENT: 'GHOST' SHIP

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has received no sightings of the former Soviet cruise ship 'Lyubov Orlova' since April last year and there is no evidence to suggest it is still afloat. Any 'ghost' ship entering European waters is highly likely to be reported due to the large number of vessels passing through the area. We would then act accordingly.

SURVEY AND INSPECTION: KEEPING YOU SAFE ON THE WATER

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Over 5000 safety inspections and over 4000 surveys were carried out on UK and international ships, cruise liners, tankers, cargo ships, fishing boats and passenger vessels in 2013. MCA Surveyor Chris Uglow Survey and inspections are carried out to ensure that vessels are safe to set sail. Any structural defect, issue with communications or lifesaving equipment on board could mean the difference between life and death on the water. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) surveyors that carry out these inspections are trained to spot any issues, and are on hand to offer advice. The photos here show a survey of the last remaining coal-fired paddle steamer in the UK, the Kingwear Castle, operated by Dartmouth Steam railway and River Boast Company.  The Kingswear Castle passed the survey successfully.   In the most serious of cases, the MCA can detain vessels to stop them from sailing, until the necessary improvements are made. Tony Heslop, Survey and Inspection Operati

CREW RESCUED AFTER VESSEL FIRE OFF GREAT YARMOUTH

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A crewman has been airlifted to hospital this morning after a fire on board a wind farm support vessel 4 nautical miles off Great Yarmouth. Humber Coastguard received a call from the vessel Norfolk Tern just after 8am reporting they had a fire in their starboard engine. They had managed to bring it under control, but one crewman was believed to be suffering the effects of breathing in too much smoke. The Lowestoft and Gorleston Coastguard Rescue Teams, the search and rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham along with the RNLI all-weather lifeboats, from Lowestoft and Gorleston, were sent to the scene. The injured crewman was winched on board the RAF helicopter and taken direct to James Paget University Hospital . With the lifeboats standing by, the five other crew members stayed on board the Norfolk Tern to help bring the vessel into Great Yarmouth. They were met there by Coastguard Rescue Officers, along with ambulance and fire crews.  Bev Allen,

FOUR FISHERMEN PLUCKED FROM LIFERAFT AFTER BOAT SINKS

Four fishermen were rescued from a liferaft by the RAF rescue helicopter based at RAF Boulmer after their 18 metre fishing vessel ‘Rachel Jaynne IV’ began to sink. At just before 5pm the fishing vessel ‘Kiroan’ contacted Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to say that they had heard the fishing vessel ‘ Rachel Jaynne IV ’ make a Mayday broadcast. The ‘ Rachel Jaynne ’ had said that she was taking on water and sinking 26 miles East North East of the Tynemouth Piers. The crew were also reported to be abandoning the vessel to their liferaft. Humber Coastguard immediately sent the RAF rescue helicopter based at   RAF Boulmer and the RNLI lifeboat based at Tynemouth to the scene. They also broadcast a Mayday alert message to vessels in the area requesting   them to head for the scene. A large number of fishing vessels and commercial ships responded and headed towards the ‘ Rachel Jaynne IV ’. The four crew were winched from the liferaft to the helicopter and taken to the Wa

PERSON PULLED FROM SEA AT STONEHAVEN, NR. ABERDEEN

A Police Officer and two unknown members of the public pulled a person from the sea in Stonehaven Bay this afternoon. At 3.00pm Aberdeen Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received a call from a member of the public telling them that someone was in the water at Stonehaven Bay. The RNLI lifeboat based at Aberdeen headed through choppy seas to the scene whilst the Stonehaven Coastguard Rescue Team went to the breakwater at the Tolbooth Car Park. The Air Rescue Coordination Centre were asked to send a helicopter to the scene and sent Rescue Bond 1. A Police Officer and two unknown members of the public pulled the person from the sea on to the shore. The helicopter took them straight from there to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for urgent medical attention. Aberdeen Coastguard Watch Manager Kevin Brown said: “We’re not sure how the person came to be in the water. The people who pulled them from the sea to the shore was incredibly brave given the rough conditions on the breakwat

SEARCH FOR MAN SPOTTED IN THE SEA OFF SOUTH SHIELDS

Humber Coastguard has been coordinating a search for a man seen walking in the sea near to Marsden Grotto, South Shields. A fisherman called 999 and spoke to Humber Coastguard just before 11pm last night, reporting   that a man was in the water. He soon disappeared from view. The Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team, the two RNLI lifeboats from Tynemouth were sent to the scene, along with the police helicopter and the search and rescue helicopter from RAF Boulmer. Despite the extensive search, nothing has yet been found. Conditions on scene are said to be good, with light winds and clear visibility. Fran Wilkins, Watch Manager at Humber Coastguard, said: “We’ve had rescue units on scene and carrying out a thorough search for almost three hours, but unfortunately we have not located this man. “Units have now been stood down. We will assess the situation later on this morning to decide the next best course of action.”

A short history of HM Coastguard

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Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p

THREE CREWMAN RESCUED AFTER VESSEL BLAZE

Three crewmen have been rescued off Lowestoft this afternoon after their vessel caught fire in the North Sea . Humber Coastguard coordinated the rescue operation after the crew abandoned the ECC Topaz 10 nautical miles east of the town. The vessel had been heading out to service a windfarm when the blaze struck just before 1pm .   The crew, who were wearing lifejackets, managed to get into a liferaft while they waited to be rescued by the Search and Rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham. The crew were winched to safety and airlifted to James Paget University Hospital at Great Yarmouth as a precaution. They aren’t believed to have suffered any serious injuries. The Dutch Coastguard aircraft, which was in the area at the time, remained on standby throughout the rescue operation and Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat also attended. The fuel and oil on board the ECC Topaz is believed to have burnt off during the blaze before the vessel sank. Graham Dawson, Wat

TEN FOREIGN FLAGGED SHIPS UNDER DETENTION IN THE UK DURING DECEMBER 2013

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today that ten flagged ships were under detention in UK ports during December 2013 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection. Latest monthly figures show that there were six new detentions of foreign flagged vessels in UK ports and four vessels remained under detention from previous months. Only five vessels remain under detention at the end of this month. 1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson's Inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (2009/16/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month. 2. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally i