Hm Coastguard News

Damien Oliver has been appointed as the interim Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Damien will begin his new role on Monday 17 October, which follows the current MCA Chief Executive Brian Johnson’s retirement.Chairman and board member Christopher Rodrigues said, “Damien has had a number of high-profile roles within the MCA since joining in 2001 and he will bring a wealth of maritime experience and knowledge. Damien has been responsible for major projects and programs…

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) future oil spill response plan will be informed by a new report that maps out possible threats to the UK's coastal areas, marine life, and traffic as a result of hydrocarbon releases from energy industry operation and shipping.The report on the review of the hydrocarbon release risk on the UKCS over the next decade was delivered for the MCA, by Xodus Group, in association with London Marine Consultants.The review evaluated the risk of a serious mineral oil release occurring in UK waters from vessels of more than 1…

The UK Secretary of State for Transport has appointed Christopher Rodrigues CBE as the new Non-Executive Chair of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the government agency responsible for preventing the loss of life on the coast and at sea, as well as producing legislation and guidance on maritime matters.Rodrigues brings extensive international experience as a chair of public, private, and government sector bodies in tourism, the arts, and public diplomacy and since 2016 as chair of the Port of London…

A life raft has been recovered from the fishing vessel Nicola Faith, which went missing with three aboard off the coast of Colwyn Bay, Wales on January 27.The raft was found off the coast of Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland by HM Coastguard and has been positively identified by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) as being from the Nicola Faith. The next of kin have been informed of this development.The raft will be transported to the MAIB in Southampton for further investigation…

A Valaris drillship went adrift on Tuesday evening, breaking free from moorings near the port at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland.According to BBC, which was the first to report on the incident on Wednesday, "a major rescue operation has been ongoing overnight," when the 228 meters drillship, Valaris DS4, broke free and started drifting without power.According to the news agency, coastguard rescue teams, vessels, and a helicopter were dispatched to the scene, and no injuries have been reported.Offshore Engineer has reached out to Valaris and Maritime and Coastguard Agency, seeking more info. Valaris did not immediately respond. A…

The U.K.'s Maritime and Coastguard Agency is investing over £170 million ($221.5 million) in a new radio network for Her Majesty’s Coastguard. The new network will be built and maintained by telent Technology Services Ltd. and is a significant investment in telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas.The existing network will be replaced with a modern and resilient fiber-based hybrid network, that will provide increased reliability, bandwidth and security.The new network will ensure HM Coastguard can continue to communicate with ships in U.K.

At around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, HM Coastguard was alerted to a collision and reports that a small boat was stuck under the prow of the Sandbanks chain ferry in Dorset, England.HM Coastguard sent Swanage and Poole Coastguard rescue teams, and two RNLI lifeboats from Poole attended.Two people on board the small boat, which is described as a 22-foot privately owned shrimper, were recovered onto the ferry without injuries.The vessel had become hung up on the side of the ferry, with…

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Østensjø has said it is assisting in the ongoing search and rescue (SAR) after a fighter jet crashed off the UK coast on Monday."Østensjø's offshore wind vessel “Edda Mistral” and her autonomous workboat “Mistral Worker” were in the vicinity of the fighter jet crash off the UK coast. Both vessels are engaged in the ongoing search and rescue SAR operation," the company said Monday.The vessels are reporting to UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency who is coordinating the SAR-operation.

The NEXT GEN Shock Mitigation Solutions Workshop has been rescheduled to October 6, 2020. The program and format will remain the same and the majority of attendees have confirmed their availability for the new date at the Grand Harbour hotel, Southampton UK.Workshop Lead, John Haynes said, “Whilst we are living in challenging times, we believe it is still important to make plans for the future. Our focus is on viable innovation and using people’s time effectively. There is no…

Salvage operations continue on board the cargo vessel MV Kaami after it ran aground in the Minches in March in northwest Scotland.A HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter winched all of the eight-person crew to safety from the cargo vessel which ran aground in adverse weather conditions in the early hours on March 23.The vessel, which made contact with the Coastguard and reported taking on water, remains on hard ground at Sgeir Graidach rock and is being monitored by the U.K.'s…

UPDATE [April 23]: This event has been rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will be held October 6, 2020. More information is available here.Devices, apps and digital are coming fast at sea. As simple and cost effective technology solutions become available for boats, the NEXT GEN Shock Mitigation Workshop brings decision makers together to highlight the burning issues today and identify viable solutions for the future.Repetitive Shock and Whole Body Vibration (RS & WBV) has kept scientists busy in recent years.

HM Coastguard in the UK was among the agencies joining an international search operation last night (Friday 22 November) after a superyacht sank off Indonesia.At 9.08pm Friday 22nd November, HM Coastguard in the UK received a call from the Australian maritime authority, (JRCC Australia), who had in turn received a HF DSC Distress from what initially appeared to be a UK registered vessel named Asia. Investigations started by searching all relevant databases for contact details for the vessel but the vessel was not found to be on the UK Register. Coastguard coordinators in the UK are able to monitor beacon alerts globally and had noticed that a US registered EPIRB…

Six crew from a fishing vessel in distress have been airlifted from their disabled vessel off Lands End in atrocious weather conditions over night. HM Coastguard was alerted at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday night to the 24m French registered fishing vessel, La Fanette which had suffered engine failure. Another fishing vessel went to assist and HM Coastguard requested the launch of Sennen Cove RNLI lifeboat. Despite attrocious weather, Sennen Cove Lifeboat launched but due to 5-6 meter waves on scene and storm force winds, it was impossible for either the fishing vessel or the lifeboat to establish a tow with La Fanette. Penlee RNLI all weather lifeboat also attended. The six crew on board were airlifted from the fishing vessel by Newquay Coastguard Rescue Helicopter.

3 One Day Workshops - Southampton UK April 2-4, 2019As the digital age rapidly arrives all around us, it (or IT) may have overlooked that safety at sea is still all about people. To meet the changing requirements of modern fleets, smart organizations and specialist equipment manufacturers now need to work together to blend traditional safety methods with innovation.A unique program of three specialist safety days for the sub IMO / sub 80 feet professional sector is being held back-to-back at the Grand Harbor overlooking the port of Southampton UK this April.

Three one-day workshops - Southampton, U.K. - April 2-4, 2019NEXT GEN 2019 is a series of specialist one-day workshops run back-to-back on April 2-4, 2019. The program combines hot topics and international maritime experts with dynamic panel discussions. The Grand Harbor is a conference venue overlooking the historic port of Southampton, U.K. Workshop Lead John Haynes said, "In recent years less people are expected to do more work and time is becoming scarce for everyone in the marine industry.

The dredger Gypsey Race rescued a woman who'd fallen from Berwick Pier, UK yesterday (September 02) morning. She was in the water for 1 1/2 hrs before the dredger crew saved her life. Unfortunately their vessel grounded and they are now waiting for high water to refloat.The crew of the dredger, Gypsey Race, noticed the woman clinging to the wall at 8.30 this morning and made an immediate call to the Coastguard whilst going to her aid. The Coastguard requested the Berwick RNLI inshore and all weather lifeboats to launch and the Berwick Coastguard Rescue Team to attend.By the time that the lifeboats and coastguard team arrived on scene, the crew of the dredger had managed to rescue the woman from her predicament.

Two sailors have been rescued after their yacht collided with a cargo ship off Dungeness, Kent.HM Coastguard received a Mayday from the yacht following the collision which happened just after 4:10 a.m. local time on Wednesday.Dungeness RNLI lifeboat rescued the two from the yacht, and both crew members are safe and well.The yacht become entangled with the superstructure of the cargo vessel and will need to be released, but is thought to be intact.A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson told MarineLink that there is no evidence of any damage to the cargo ship.The Maritime and Coastguard’s enforcement team and the duty surveyor have been informed and are monitoring the situation. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has also been notified.

The cargo ship MV Priscilla was successfully re-floated, said Her Majesty's Coastguard (HM Coastguard), a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in UK.Following an initial assessment it was agreed she was in safe condition to be towed to Scapa Flow, Orkney Isles.The vessel will arrive tomorrow morning and will go to safe anchorage where a further assessment, including an underwater dive inspection, will be carried out.The ship with six crew on board ran aground on the Pentland Skerries last Wednesday.The Priscilla remained hard aground with the crew safely on board while the owner and the authorities made plans for a larger-scale salvage effort.The salvor companies - Multraship/Ardent/Wagenborg - removed 28 tonnes of Marine Gas Oil (MGO) from the vessel.

At 4: 30 a.m. Falmouth Coastguard received a mayday call from sinking fishing vessel Nemo, 15 miles south of Salcombe, England.Falmouth Coastguard received all the relevant information from the radio operator on the fishing vessel who reported their location and that they had two people on board and were taking on water and listing. HM Coastguard sent the Coastguard helicopter from Newquay and the RNLI all weather lifeboat from Salcombe and made a broadcast to vessels in the area. Several large merchant vessels and two other fishing vessels called Manx Ranger and Celtic Dawn responded to the Coastguard broadcast and went to help; they were able to find and intercept the Nemo using AIS.

A Russian flagged vessel  reportedly with 13 crew still aboard is listing 'significantly' outside of Portsmouth Harbor may have to await further rescue attempt, as the weather forecast is poor with severe gales and rough seas expected later today according to various local media reports. The ship MEKHANIK YARTSDEV as identified in locla images from the scene reportedly has power and is reported stable, at anchor in the Solent.

The captain of a Dutch cargo ship that ran aground at Rathlin Island has been fined £1,000 ($1,300) at Armagh Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to failing to keep a proper look out. Ship’s captain Aleksandr Iakovtsov of the MV Ruyter pleaded guilty to charges brought by the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). He was charged under the Merchant Shipping Distress Signals and Prevention of Collision Regulations 1996 and also of failing to safely navigate his ship and causing serious damage to the ship (in breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995).

More than 80 maritime professionals attended two one-day events focused on the sub IMO / sub 80-ft. sector in Southampton, U.K. this Spring. The Man Overboard Prevention & Recovery Workshop brought together an international group of experts armed with the latest knowledge to identify problems that affect the maritime sector worldwide. Workshop lead John Haynes opened the day saying said, “Expectations, requirements and capabilities are changing for many maritime organizations. High profile roles are evolving close to shore and offshore in U.K., European and international waters.

Severe weather has caused semi-submersible drilling rig Transocean Winner to break free from tow and run aground off the western isles of Scotland, the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. There are no personnel on board the rig and there is no risk to life, MCA said. There is 280mt of diesel on board. The tug Alp Forward encountered severe weather west of the Isle of Lewis while towing the Transocean Winner, and remained connected to the rig overnight on Sunday but was unable to make headway with the tow. The MCA’s Emergency Towing Vessel Herakles was deployed from Orkney on Sunday night to assist. Early Monday morning, the tow line parted, and due to the severe weather conditions it was not possible to reconnect.