HUMBER TO TAKE OVER NIGHT TIME COORDINATION FOR GREAT YARMOUTH MARITIME RESCUE COORDINATION CENTRE (MRCC)

Great Yarmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) is changing to daytime only operations from 4 March 2013. This means that responsibility for its area of operation, from Haile Sand Fort to Southwold, will be taken over by Humber MRCC between the hours of 8pm to 8am.

Humber MRCC already has the technical links, operational familiarity and training to be able to coordinate maritime search and rescue effectively in this area in preparation for the closure Great Yarmouth MRCC on 1 May 2013.  Humber has been operationally ‘paired’ with Yarmouth for several years, and staff at Humber have acquired significant operational and geographical knowledge of the Great Yarmouth area.

This change is necessary because of reducing staff numbers at Yarmouth. Normally Yarmouth MRCC has a complement of 25 but leading up to its closure on 1 May 2013 this has reduced to only 16 watch keepers.  The closure in May is part of the planned programme for a national network of a Maritime Operations Centre and ten 24 hour Centres across the UK.

There will be no reduction in front line rescue resources. The availability of lifeboats, rescue helicopters, Coastguard Rescue Teams and other rescue facilities in the area will be unaffected.

Chief Coastguard Peter Dymond said:
“From 4 March, Humber MRCC will take over night-time operations for Great Yarmouth MRCC. Two watch keepers will be transferred from Yarmouth to Humber to ensure we have sufficient staff on duty at night to meet any additional demands.

“Safety is our top priority and I am confident that the same high quality search and rescue service will be maintained throughout.”


ENDS

Notes to Editors

  1. From 1 May 2013, Humber MRCC will take full operational responsibility for Great Yarmouth’s area of operation, which stretches from Haile Sand Fort, Gayton Le Marsh in Lincolnshire to Southwold in Suffolk.
  2. The Shipping Minister announced in November 2011 that the new national network would be implemented from 2012-2015 with some Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres closing from 2012.  The Great Yarmouth closure is the next to take place in this planned programme.

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