HM Coastguard

Two people have been recovered from the water after the wash from a tug boat towing a ferry knocked them off a pontoon in Newhaven, East Sussex. UK Coastguard received a call just before 5 O’clock this evening (30 th September) reporting that two people were standing on the pontoon when they were washed into the water. The Newhaven RNLI lifeboat and Newhaven Coastguard Rescue Team were sent to the area and were able to account for the two people. Both individuals were checked over by South East Ambulance Service and one was taken to hospital.

The search off the coast of Portmuck, County Antrim, continues this morning for the kayaker who has been missing since yesterday afternoon. UK Coastguard is coordinating the search after a concerned friend called to report the kayaker overdue, just before 19:00 yesterday (28 th September). The Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter based at Malin, lifeboats from Larne, Redbay and Campbeltown and Ballycastle Coastguard Rescue Team are continuing to the search the area. The Coastguard is also making broadcasts to all local vessels, requesting that they keep a lookout for the kayaker.

The Coastguard is coordinating a search for an overdue kayaker. The kayaker left from Portmuck, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and has not returned as expected. The kayaker was reported overdue to the Coastguard just before 19:00 this evening (28th September) by a concerned friend. The Royal Navy Rescue helicopter based at Prestwick, Irish coast guard rescue helicopter based at Dublin, the police helicopter, lifeboats from Redbay, Donaghadee, Bangor and the all-weather and inshore lifeboats from Larne, along with Coastguard Rescue Teams from Portmuck, Larne and Bangor are involved in the search. Dawn Petrie, UK Coastguard said: “The kayaker was reported overdue after not returning home this afternoon, we are carrying out an extensive search in the Gobbins coastal path area of Portmuck. Rescue resources were quickly sent to search and we are also asking vessels in the area to help”  

Work has been carried out at the search and rescue coordination centre to upgrade technology and introduce new system. This means Belfast CGOC is now connected to the National Maritime Operations Centre in Hampshire and other Coastguard stations around the country. The changes to HM Coastguard will see the NMOC and ten other CGOCs around the UK can work together to manage the workload. Alex Smith (pictured), Maritime Operations Controller at Belfast CGOC, said: 'People who call us for help won't notice any difference.  There'll be the same number of lifeboats, Coastguard Rescue Teams, helicopters and other rescue resources. 'But the way we deliver the coordination of search and rescue operations on our coast and out at sea is changing.  Here at Belfast CGOC we're now part of this network, so we can call upon our fellow Coastguards elsewhere in the country and also  in turn help them out if needed.'

The UK Coastguard is requesting information from members of the public after a catamaran dinghy was found upturned yesterday by a merchant vessel, 25 miles north east of North Foreland. The Coastguard helicopter from Lydd, Margate Coastguard Rescue Team and RNLI lifeboats from Ramsgate and Margate searched throughout the afternoon and evening but no sign was found of a missing person. The Hobie Cat dinghy and some personal possessions have now been brought to shore. Frank O’Neill, Senior Watch Manager says: “Despite an extensive search for a missing person yesterday, we have been unable to locate anyone. Today, coastguard rescue teams will conduct a shoreline search to try and gather more information. Kent Police are also carrying out investigations. If members of the public have further information about the catamaran and its skipper they can call us on 01304 210008.

The Coastguard launched an intensive search this afternoon for a missing swimmer near the Isle of Skye today. Stornoway Coastguard was contacted at 12.30 today by Police Scotland with a report of a swimmer who had not returned.  A family member raised the alarm after the man went for a swim at 8.30 this morning, setting off from under the Sky Bridge at Kyleakin.  The Coastguard is coordinating an intensive search of the water between the Isle of Skye and the mainland involving the Coastguard rescue helicopter from Stornoway, Kyle and Portree RNLI lifeboats and Coastguard Rescue Teams from Kyle, Broadford and Portree.  Reponders from Police Scotland are also on scene and members of the public have been helping with the search.

An angler was recovered from the sea off Prawle Point in Devon after his drifting dinghy was spotted.  Falmouth Coastguard was contacted by volunteers at the National Coastwatch Institute at Prawle Point today after they spotted a drifting dinghy with fishing rods but noone on board. The Coastguard requested the launch of Salcombe RNLI lifeboats and Hope Cove lifeboat and the Coastguard rescue helicopter. Torbay Coastguard Rescue Team was also sent. An elderly gentleman was recovered from the sea near the boat and taken aboard the lifeboat for medical treatment from the lifeboat crew and the winchman from the Coastguard helicopter.

The Coastguard is coodinating a multi-agency response to rescue a paraglider who crashed into a cliff on the Isle Of Arran. Belfast Coastguard was contacted at 4pm by Police Scotland for assistance after a mid air collision between two paragliders on the Isle Of Arran.  One of the paragliders managed to land but the other crashed into a cliff at Catacal about half a mile inland, sustaining injuries and suspended in an inaccessible location on the cliff. Belfast Coastguard sent the Arran Coastguard Rescue Team and requested the Royal Navy Rescue Helicopter from Prestwick to attend. Members of Arran Mountain Rescue team were transferred to the cliff top by the rescue helicopter and will attempt to recover the paraglider using cliff recue equipment.  Arran Coastguard Rescue Team are providing the on scene communications between airbourne and land based responders.  Police Scotland and Scottish Air Ambulance are also on scene.

Simon Milne (MCA Assistant Director Ship Safety),  Stuart Carruthers (Royal Yachting Association Cruising Manager),  Ross Wombwell (British Marine Technical Manager),  Andy Wibroe (MCA Policy Lead). The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has been working closely with the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and British Marine (BM), to produce a general exemption for pleasure boat owners. Requirements for firefighting and life-saving appliances will now be set on a proportionate level reflecting the boat’s recreational activity. This general exemption, along with guidance for pleasure craft on other regulations, and best practice advice can be found in Marine Guidance Note 538.  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mgn-538-m-pleasure-vessels-guidance-and-applicable-uk-regulations

A large-scale search of an area near Devil’s Point near Plymouth is being carried out following several reports of someone in the water. The call came in about  3.20pm today and is being dealt with by HM Coastguard at Falmouth. Plymouth and Tamar Coastguard Rescue Teams, Plymouth all-weather and inshore lifeboats were all sent to the area. An unconscious diver has been recovered from the water and taken by ambulance to hospital. The area around where the diver was recovered continues to be searched.

The converted fishing vessel Callisto sent out a mayday to the Coastguard this morning having lost its rudder in rough sea conditions. The Callisto is currently 50 miles South of Plymouth. A rescue helicopter is on route to evacuate the four people on board, none whom are injured. The lifeboat from Salcombe is also on its way to the scene and is planning to tow the Callisto to shore, depending on if the rough sea conditions allow. The UK Coastguard advice to all those who go out to sea is to always check the weather and tidal conditions before you set out so that you can prepare accordingly.  Check that your engine(s) and safety equipment are properly serviced and are working properly.  If you do suffer from some type of vessel failure, contact the coastguard via mayday or by calling 999. Yachts / motorboats more than 30 miles from the shore should carry a fixed DSCVHF set, 406 MHz EPIRB with GPS and 121.5 homing function, powerful torch and appropriate flares. Remember t

Shipping contributes £5.6 billion to this country’s GDP. It moves 95% of our international trade. In other words, it matters. And as part of that, a large and growing ship register is a fundamental part of any sustainable maritime sector. It attracts other supporting businesses like finance, law, insurance, broking, training.  It brings jobs, and economic growth. With it, the UK also has a more powerful voice when it comes to negotiating international maritime policy. Without it, there won’t be the continuous supply of maritime skills and experience to operate ships or to support the wider maritime sector and other parts of the economy. And at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency we take the UK Ship Register very seriously. We’ve seen the drop in numbers on the register. We’ve seen that something was preventing ship owners and operators joining us. And we knew we couldn’t go on ignoring the problem. We need to make the Register more attractive to customers. We need

The Coastguard was contacted by the ambulance service this afternoon (Sunday 6 th  September 2015), reporting two anglers who had been knocked into the sea at Eyemouth by a large wave. Coastguard Rescue Teams from Berwick, North Berwick, St Abbs and Eyemouth were sent to the search the area. The Eyemouth lifeboat and a rescue helicopter were also tasked to the location.   Bev Allen, Maritime Operations Controller for the Coastguard said, “We have recovered one of the anglers, he is receiving medical attention. However the search for the second angler is continuing. It’s been a warm and sunny day and people are making the most of the end of the summer. But the sea swells are catching people out. Our advice for shore anglers is to wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid. Don’t wade into breaking waves as the undertow can sweep you off your feet. Take time to assess the area and monitor the wave and tide motions; check weather and tidal conditions; tell a shore contact

Multiple 999 emergency calls were made to the Coastguard this afternoon (Sunday 6 th  September 2015), reporting two people shouting and struggling in the water and being dragged out to sea, off Stoupe Beack, Robin Hoods Bay. Ravenscar and Robin Hoods Bay Coastguard Rescue Teams, lifeboats from Whitby and the Coastguard Rescue helicopter were tasked to the location.  The lifeboat recovered the pair, who were father and daughter. They were tired and cold, but OK. The helicopter transferred them both to the James Cook hospital for medical attention as they’d been in the water for some time. Coastguard Advice if you get caught in a strong current or rip current try to stay as calm as you can, raise your hand and shout for help. If you can’t get help, try and swim parallel to the beach until you’re out of trouble then swim to the shore. If you can stand up, wade instead  of swimming.  If you do get into difficulty, or you see someone in difficulty at the beach, call 999 and ask f

A 13 year old boy made a 999 emergency call to the Coastguard this afternoon (Saturday 5 th September 2015), reporting that his Grandfather had fallen overboard from their speedboat on Loch Fyne. A local vessel in the area responded to the Coastguard’s relay emergency and assisted the boy, who was holding his Grandfather by rope, in recovering him back on board their boat. Tarbert Coastguard Rescue Team and a Rescue helicopter were tasked to the scene to transfer the gentleman, who was conscious, to hospital to be checked over. Dawn Petrie, from the Coastguard Coordination Centre at Belfast said, We were struck by how brave and sensible this young boy behaved this afternoon. He knew to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard, he also managed to get a rope to his Grandfather and keep him safe until help reached them.  He deserves to be commended for his courage and quick thinking.

After a two year investigation by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, Vincent Woolsgrove of Ramsgate, Kent has today been jailed for two years and ordered to pay £35,000 in costs. In addition, a Proceeds Of Crime Act confiscation order will be made at a future date. Mr Woolsgrove pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court on 15th June 2015 to an offence under Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006. The fraud offence was in excess of £46,000. In 2007, Mr Woolsgrove, a commercial diver, reported to the Receiver of Wreck that he had found and recovered five historic bronze cannons from two different shipwreck sites. Two of the bronze cannons were English and had been recovered from a wreck site identified as that of the Warship London. The other three cannons were also bronze, but were Dutch and were reported as having been recovered from an unidentified wreck site outside of UK territorial waters. The cannons recovered from the Warship London were both very rare bronze cannons, one

The UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Caernarfon has completed 100 taskings – in just two months. It’s not been a huge surprise to the crews who say that historically the area has been one of the busiest search and rescue ones in the UK. Picture: Maritime and Coastguard Agency The base is operated by Bristow Helicopters Ltd on behalf of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and was the third civilian search and rescue base to go live. Its first tasking, a mountain rescue, came just eight hours after going live on 1 st   July.  The hundredth was to help with a medical evacuation on 1 st   September, although in the event, the helicopter was stood down. Chief Crewman Kevin Weller said, ‘The jobs we have been tasked to have been challenging at times, especially in the mountains in poor weather and at night.  'Historically C Flight at RAF Valley has been one of the busiest search and rescue flights in the UK so we knew we would be busy fr

This afternoon (Weds 2 nd September) UK Coastguard received a call from Cumbria police reporting two people at Redness Point, near Whitehaven who were stuck on rocks and were becoming cut off by a rising tide. The Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team arrived on scene and were able to recover the people to the shore, where they were handed into the care of the North West Ambulance. Stuart Atkinson, the Senior Coastal Operations Officer said, “I cannot praise the efforts of the team highly enough. The guys were on scene quickly and effectively recovered the two people before they got into real danger.  We always encourage members of the public to check the weather and tidal conditions before they set out.  At sea changes in tidal streams could make conditions worse, particularly if the wind and tide are against each other. Consider whether you could become cut off by the incoming tide, above all do not take risks. If you get into trouble, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”

Just after 2:30pm today (1 st  Sept) UK Coastguard received a mayday call from a dive support vessel reporting an overdue diver. The diver’s buddy had resurfaced but had lost sight of his diving partner. A large scale search was initiated and involved RNLI Lifeboats from Penlee, Lizard and Falmouth as well a Rescue Helicopter from Culdrose. The missing diver was wearing a personal locator beacon (PLB) which had been activated and was instrumental in locating him.  The warship HMS Somerset was in the vicinity and spotted the diver, who was conscious and waving, the warship was then able to direct the dive boat to the casualty for recovery. Maritime Operations Controller, Andrew Jenkins, said “In this instance the diver's PLB helped us identify his location. These devices are inexpensive and extremely easy to operate, the PLB helped us pin-point and recover the casualty in good time. We always recommend that divers are adequately qualified and experienced for