HM Coastguard

Two people have been rescued from the water in the early hours of this morning at Inganess Bay, Orkney. The UK Coastguard was contacted just before 1:50am this morning (31.05.15) by the Scottish ambulance service who had received a report of two people in the water at Inganess Bay. The Kirkwall Coastguard rescue team and RNLI lifeboat were sent to the scene along with the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Shetland. The Coastguard rescue team were first to arrive on scene and the Coastguard rescue swimmer entered the water, he swam out 70m before reaching the causalities. Both were brought ashore where they were met by waiting paramedics and transferred to Balfour Hospital.   During the rescue the Coastguard rescue swimmer inhaled sea water, he was also checked over by paramedics and taken to the hospital where he was later released. Andy Graham, Shetland Coastguard said: “I would advise against people entering the water at night, the sea may look cal

At 1852 UTC hours on Tuesday 26 May 2015, Stornoway Coastguard received a report of an overdue boat which set off from the Brevig Pier on the Isle of Lewis. A major search and rescue operation was carried out utilising Stornoway RNLI Lifeboat, Coastguard Rescue Teams from Stornoway, Ness, South Lochs, Miavaig, Tarbert, Bragar, Breasclete, Coastguard Helicopter R948, Hebrides Search and Rescue and Police Scotland. The search was stood down overnight and resumed by all units this morning. At 0850 UTC, the missing boat was found submerged by Stornoway RNLI off the area of Point, Isle of Lewis. The body of a man has sadly been recovered not far from where the boat was located. The man's next of kin have been informed of the circumstances. Our thoughts are with his family. No further details regarding his identity will be release at this stage. Enquiries are ongoing into this matter and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Coastguards are currently coordinating the search for a man who is missing off Broad Bay, Isle of Lewis. The man left Breivig in his homemade boat at 7.00 am this morning. Concerned relatives called the Coastguard at 8.00 this evening when he failed to return. The missing man did not give details of where he intended to go and does not have a radio or mobile phone with him. Carol Collins, Stornoway Coastguard Watch Manager says: “The Stornoway-based Coastguard rescue helicopter, Stornoway RNLI lifeboat, Coastguard Rescue Teams from across the Isle of Lewis, Police units and Hebrides Inland Rescue are all currently searching for the missing man. Sadly we have not found any sign of him or his boat yet.” The missing boat is blue and black, three metres long and has an outboard motor. If you think that you may have seen the missing boat or its skipper today please call Stornoway Coastguard on 01851 702013. http://images.mcga.gov.uk/press/Press-release-images/Missing_Breivig_boat

“Help… help!” “We’re on the rocks and the tide’s coming in…” “Someone’s fallen over the cliff edge. He’s hurt… I can’t get to him…” Every day, around the coast, hundreds of people make a 999 call to Her Majesty’s Coastguard. Whether it’s someone out of their depth in the sea, or who has fallen off a cliff or is stuck in the mud and unable to free themselves, it’s a Coastguard Rescue Team that will be on hand to help. As the emergency service responsible for coordinating maritime search and rescue in the UK, HM Coastguard needs volunteers for its rescue teams. Ordinary people doing an extraordinary job. Coastguard Rescue Teams can be called into action any time, day or night. There are 3,500 volunteers in 347 teams around the coast of the UK, but there are always vacancies. Coastguard Rescue Officers help search for and rescue people in difficulties, be it on cliffs, stuck in mud or in water and also missing people. They report and deal with pollution and other hazards and

A search and rescue operation carried out to find a diver who went missing near Swanage will not be resumed this morning. Despite a major search across a ten mile area after a call to the UK Coastguard from the dive vessel Emma J, the man hasn’t been found. The search was suspended last night and discussions held overnight to decide what to do next. Tristam Newey, National Maritime Operations Commander said, ‘This hasn’t been an easy decision to make. This man is still missing and we appreciate the concern and worry this is causing his family and friends.’ ‘We used many resources yesterday to make an extensive search of an area covering 10 square nautical miles. The search and rescue helicopter from Portland and then from Lee-on-Solent carried out a comprehensive search from the air and the lifeboats from Poole and Swanage did an equally thorough job on the sea.’ ‘In the early hours of this morning yachts taking part in the Myth of Malham race passed through the ar

The search for a missing diver in an area south of Swanage has been suspended for the night. Lifeboats from Poole and Swanage, as well as the search and rescue helicopters from Portland and then Lee-on-Solent have been involved in looking for the diver who failed to return from an expedition earlier today. The situation will be assessed with Dorset police and other agencies before a decision on next steps is taken.

A search and rescue operation is being carried out to find a diver who has not returned after an expedition. The call came in to the UK Coastguard at 4.40pm (BST) today (24th) from the dive vessel Emma J reporting that only two out of three divers had resurfaced. A major search is being carried out of an area south of Swanage covering 10.2 square nautical miles. Poole all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboats together with the Swanage all-weather lifeboat are all involved in the search. The Portland search and rescue helicopter was also involved initially, with the Lee-on-Solent SAR helicopter then taking over. Mark Rodaway, operations centre commander at the National Maritime Operations Centre, which is currently overseeing the search, said, 'This is a significant incident. 'This diver has been missing for more than three hours and clearly this is very serious. 'We are concentrating our search on this area and will continue to do so.'

Carbon monoxide kills – on average – one person a week in England and Wales. And about two hundred people a year need to be taken to hospital after suffering its effects. It gets into the bloodstream through the lungs, blocking the oxygen your body needs. Prolonged exposure or very quick exposure to high concentrations can kill you. The symptoms of CO poisoning include irritated eyes, headache, nausea, weakness and dizziness. These are often confused with seasickness or too much drink meaning often people who experience it don’t receive medical attention. So what causes carbon monoxide to build up in your boat? Inadequate ventilation, exhaust gas from engines – yours or someone else’s, heater outlets. These are all possible causes and you need to be one step ahead of them. Keep your boat well ventilated. Keep it well maintained – not only the engine, but also water pumps and cooling systems on ‘wet exhausts.’ Have your gas systems serviced by a ‘Gas Safe Engineer.’ Remem

Five fishermen have been rescued from a life raft overnight after the fishing vessel Kairos sank 75 miles west of the Isles of Scilly. UK Coastguard received two distress calls just after 23:45 yesterday (18.05.15) including an EPRIB from the Kairos that gave a GPS location for the vessel. Falmouth Coastguard coordinated the search that involved two Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue helicopters, RNLI St Mary’s lifeboat, fishing vessels and two commercial vessels that were in the area. The five crew were recovered from the life raft to the vessel Cu Na Mara and are currently making their way to Castletownbere in Ireland. All crew are said to be safe and well. Jim Morrison, Senior Maritime Operations Officer for the UK Coastguard said: “Thankfully all the crew were rescued. An incident such as this shows the value of having Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and an Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) onboard. Using the information from the distress al

Just after 16:00 today (18.05.15) UK Coastguard received a 999 call reporting two people had entered the water and got into difficulties, after trying to rescue their two dogs in Seaford Bay, East Sussex. The Newhaven Coastguard Rescue Team was sent to the scene, along with the Newhaven RNLI lifeboat. One person made their own way back to shore the other was brought back with the aid of a coastguard rescue swimmer. The two dog owners were checked by paramedics, they were very cold but did not need to go to hospital. One of the dogs made their own way back to shore, a search was conducted for the other dog but the animal remains missing. Aaron Daniel, Maritime Operations Officer for the Coastguard said: "If your dog gets into difficulty in the water you should not try to rescue the animal, as you are likely to get into difficulty yourself. Dog walkers should consider keeping their dogs on a lead when walking at the

The National Maritime Operations Centre received a 999 call earlier this afternoon from a couple who were in difficulty on their speedboat off the Highcliffe coast, in Dorset. The couple were finding the sea conditions too rough, and requested assistance. They also reported that they had no lifejackets on board. The Coastguard requested the RNLI lifeboat from Mudeford to launch and recover the couple, and their boat, back to Christchurch Harbour. Coastguard Controller, Matthew Leat said, “Recreational boaters should wear an appropriate floatation device such as a lifejacket or buoyancy aid at all times. We also recommend that you always check the weather and tidal conditions before you set out so that you can prepare accordingly. We also urge boaters to invest in the correct communications equipment, a fixed DSC VHF radio is far more reliable than a mobile phone in an emergency situation."

The largest vessel registered in the UK Ship Register has arrived in Southampton. CMA CGM Kerguelen, is 398 metres long which is big enough to pack five and a half A380 Airbuses on.  It is operated by the CMA CGM Group. It is capable of carrying 17,772 TEU (twenty feet equivalent units) and is driven by an engine of 90,000hp - the equivalent of 300 Range Rovers. The bridge is towards the front of the vessel which the owners say gives better visibility and gives the ship more resistance to torsion. The layout also allows fuel tanks to be positioned under the castle where they are protected by the ship’s double hull, which makes the vessel comply with the MARPOL 12A regulation. Sir Alan Massey, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, with responsibility for the UK Ship Register, has been invited to visit the vessel while it is in Southampton. He will be joined by colleagues Gwen Lancaster (Customer Service Manager) and Annette Bowman (Customer Account

Just after 8 am this morning UK Coastguard received multiple 999 calls from members of the public reporting that a speedboat had crashed into a cardinal marker and capsized, just outside the Hamble River, close to the Warsash Maritime Academy. The Coastguard requested the Search and Rescue helicopter from Lee-on-Solent to the scene along with both RNLI lifeboats from Calshot. The speedboat had four people on board. All four have sustained injuries. James Way, Maritime Operations Controller for the Coastguard said, Our rescue assets were on scene quickly. All four people were transferred by lifeboat to the shore, they are all being taken to Southampton General hospital by road ambulance. The Police and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch have been informed.

Two people have been winched to safety after their vessel began to take in water and also suffered engine failure. The call came in as a Mayday to Humber Coastguard Operation Centre at 7.36am (BST) today from the Dolphin of Rhu, north of the windfarm between Skegness and the River Humber. Calculating the boat’s position had to be done using VHF direction finding because there seemed to be no GPS and two lifeboats – Humber and Skegness were tasked to find the vessel. Other vessels on the scene also came in to help the search. It was also decided to call in the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Humberside because of the potentially serious nature of the incident. Hull Coastguard Rescue Team was also tasked as initially it was thought the crew might need hospital treatment, but was stood down because both were uninjured. The vessel is being towed back to Grimsby by the Humber Lifeboat. Jolene Smith, deputising senior maritime operations officer for the Coastgu

The Coastguard was contacted on Sunday morning by the National Coastwatch Institute who called 999 reporting that a paraglider had been spotted colliding with the cliff at Newhaven and was hanging from the cliff by his chute.  Newhaven and Birling Gap Coastguard Rescue Teams attended and a Coastguard was lowered to the casualty and stabilised the paraglider before he was lowered with the Coastguard to the base of the cliffs.  Newhaven RNLI inshore lifeboat initially went to the base of the cliffs and was able to reassure the casualty that they should hang on and that they would be recovered. After recovery the paraglider was checked by a paramedic from the ambulance service but despite being winded and suffering from shock was found not to have suffered any serious injuries. Sussex Police and East Sussex Fire Rescue service also assisted in the rescue. The casualty's chute was recovered by the Coastguard in order that no one attempted this later on. If you see anyone in trouble

HM Coastguard received calls from members of the public at 11:44 today (2 May 2015) reporting a capsized speedboat just outside Brixham Harbour. The two Torbay RNLI lifeboats attended along with Torbay Coastguard Rescue Team and Berry Head Coastguard Rescue team. 4 persons from the speedboat were in the water and brought ashore where paramedics were waiting.

A man was rescued from the water near Ogmore by sea, Vale of Glamorgan this afternoon after his kayak capsized and sank. Milford Haven Coastguard Operations Centre received multiple 999 calls at 12:26 from concerned members of the public who could see two kayakers, one of whom was in the water. The remaining kayaker was attempting to tow the man in the water back to shore but appeared to be having difficulties. Milford Haven Coastguard sent the Porthcawl RNLI lifeboat and the Porthcawl Coastguard Search and Rescue Team to the scene. While the lifeboat was on its way further reports came in telling the Coastguard that the man was on longer being towed to shore but was holding onto an ore and drifting eastwards in the direction of the Bristol Channel. Onlookers had lost sight of him. The Coastguard tasked the second Porthcawl RNLI lifeboat, Barry Dock RNLI Lifeboat, R619 the RAF Chivenor Search and Rescue Helicopter and the Llantwit Major Coastguard Search and Rescue Team. The C