HM Coastguard

Humber Coastguard this morning saved a man from a long, cold wait after he was cut off by the tide in Whitley Bay. At 11.48 a 999 call was received from a person who had third-hand information of a work colleague cut off by the tide in the Whitley bay area. He thought it was by St. Mary’s but couldn’t give Humber Coastguard an exact location. Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade and Cullercoats RNLI Inshore Lifeboat were immediately sent to the scene to start searching whilst Coastguards talked to the stranded man by phone. Despite a considerable language barrier the Coastguard officer’s pertinent questioning drew out the exact location of the casualty. The man was found, cold and a little wet, and taken to shore by the lifeboat, where he was met by the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade. Alex Harrison, Humber Coastguard Watch Officer says: "This man was very lucky that a work colleague was concerned enough to call us when he did because it was almost high water and so he woul...

A lone kayaker called for help this morning by making a 999 call from the cold sea off Newton Point, Porthcawl. As he spoke to Swansea Coastguard he was drifting out to sea in the choppy tide. Swansea Coastguard immediately sent the Porthcawl RNLI Inshore Lifeboat, RAF Rescue helicopter 169 from Chivenor and the Porthcawl Coastguard Rescue Team. The kayaker was rescued by the lifeboat and taken for medical attention.   Steve Jones, Watch Manager at Swansea Coastguard said; "This is an everyday story of a lone kayaker that gets into difficulties in choppy seas. The difference in this tale is that this kayaker was carrying his mobile phone in an acquapack secured to his body. This simple but effective piece of forward planning meant that when he was separated from his kayak and being carried out to sea his mobile was dry and working so he could summon the help he needed.

Swansea Coastguard are warning members of the public to check weather reports and take appropriate equipment before setting out to sea after two vessels in two days got into difficulty in fog and had to call for help. The first incident happened at 4.25 yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) when people on board a 16ft angling boat contacted Swansea Coastguard to advise that they had run aground near Penarth due to low visibility.  They were able to give an approximate position based on their GPS but were not entirely sure of their exact location and so Swansea Coastguard sent out Penarth Coastguard Rescue Team to find the stricken vessel.  The Penarth RNLI inshore lifeboat was also sent out to search, but with visibility down to about 80ft at the time it was very difficult for resources to find her.  At 6.00 pm both the Coastguard and the inshore Lifeboat located the vessel and it was decided that they would wait until high water to refloat the boat.  At 9.00 pm the vessel...

Three people were rescued from the Solent this afternoon after a very faint Mayday message was heard. Solent Coastguard first held a faint call for help at just after noon today. To help establish exactly where the incident had happened Solent Coastguard asked the National Coastwatch Institute at Gosport to start a visual search. They alerted the Coastguard to an orange flare that had been set off and then reported that a yacht and the Police launch were approaching the RHIB and rescuing those on board. Two people were transferred from the yacht to the Gosport & Fareham Independent Rescue Service and taken ashore for medical treatment. The remaining three crew were rescued by the Police launch. All five were met by volunteers from the Portsmouth Coastguard Rescue Team and paramedics. Three were taken to hospital for medical attention. Alan Waters, Duty Watch Manager at Solent Coastguard said "The occupants of the RHIB were very lucky that they were spotted quickly as the...

A major search for a kayaker who was last seen leaving the Isle of Lewis on Christmas Day was finally called off by Stornoway Coastguard when the kayaker called the Coastguard to confirm that he was safe and well. The kayaker left his vehicle in the small community of Carishader on the Isle of Lewis on Christmas Day. He was seen heading out with a kayak and not seen returning. Stornoway Coastguard also asked the Police for assistance in tracing contact details for the owner of the vehicle and following yesterday’s Force 9 winds with rain and sleet Stornoway Coastguard started a major search at 8.30am this morning. Coastguard Rescue helicopter from Stornoway, the volunteer Coastguard Rescue teams from Miavaig, Breasclete and Stornoway and the Western Isles Sector Manager were asked to search the Loch Roag area between Uig and Bernera. The RNLI All-weather lifeboat from Stornoway was also asked to head to Loch Roag and three boats from Sea Trek and three boats from Scottish Salmon jo...

Three crew members were rescued from their fishing vessel in the early hours of this morning, after it ran aground in the River Thurso. Aberdeen Coastguard was contacted by the vessel, an 18-metre crabber called ‘Kingfisher’, at just after midnight to report that the vessel was aground and that the crew needed immediate assistance. The Scrabster Coastguard Rescue Team and the Wick Sector Manager were sent to the scene and the Thurso RNLI lifeboat was requested to launch. Three non essential crew were rescued from the vessel as soon as the lifeboat arrived on scene and taken back to the lifeboat station. The final two crew members have decided to stay onboard. The next opportunity to attempt a refloat of the vessel will not be until 11.00 am. David Robertson, Aberdeen Coastguard Watch Manager says: “The three crew who were rescued by lifeboat are safe and well. There is currently no pollution, but there is 9 ½ tons of crab onboard. The Coastguard Rescue Team and the Sector Manager wi...

Three crewmen have been evacuated from a cargo vessel by RAF rescue helicopter, this evening suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation. They have now landed at Margate and are being taken to hospital by ambulance. The Turkish vessel, ‘Eren Turgut’ contacted Dover Coastguard at 4.30 pm this afternoon to report that the three men needed medical assistance due to smoke inhalation. The vessel is anchored in the Dover Strait traffic separation scheme and is 18 miles east-north–east of Dover.   The Dover and Ramsgate all weather lifeboats have also been on scene. Tony Evans, Dover Coastguard Watch Manager says: “A small fire on board the vessel has been dealt with and there is now no fire. However the vessel now only has emergency power and no propulsion. The crew is attempting to repair the defect.” For further information please contact the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office, on: (023) 8032 9401 Press Releases and further information about the MCA is available on the...

Humber Coastguard has been assisting North Yorkshire Police this afternoon as heavy snow hits the county. The Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team along with their sector manager are transporting police officers to areas around Whitby, where vehicles are stranded, leaving people cut off. The Blue Bank area, which is a notoriously dangerous road near Whitby is already cut off and the police 4x4 vehicle is being used there to help those trapped with their vehicles. Whitby Coastguard Team are now providing essential support to help rescue others in difficulty. Humber Coastguard Watch Officer Katie Gellatly said: “Humber Coastguard and our teams are more than happy to help colleagues in other emergency services during difficult times.   Along with other authorities, we urge road users to venture out only when absolutely necessary throughout this current spell of bad weather.”

Coastguard Rescue Teams are assisting the NHS in North Wales today as heavy snow affects the area. Cemaes Coastguard Rescue Team transported critical staff from Llanddeusant to Cefni Hospital , Llanerchymedd and Llangefni to Ysbyty Gwynedd then to Amlwch on return to base at Cemaes. Moelfre Coastguard Rescue Team transported critical staff from Amlwch, Pentraeth and Talwrn to Ysbyty Gwynedd. Moelfre Coastguard Rescue Team was tasked to assist the district nurse on critical care patient rounds, in the Gaerwen area. Penmon Coastguard Rescue Team was tasked to collect a doctor from Llanddona and take them to Ysbyty Gwynedd. Holyhead Coastguard Rescue Team was tasked to assist the district nurse on critical care patient rounds, in the Holyhead area. These teams of volunteer coastguard rescue officers have been involved in essential drug transfers to and from local hospitals and nursing staff transfers. Essential supplies for critically ill patients have been delivered and doctors h...

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today that 6 foreign flagged ships were under detention in UK ports during November 2010 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection. Latest monthly figures show that there were 3 new detentions of foreign flagged ships in UK ports during November 2010 and 3 vessels under detention from previous months. The overall rate of detentions compared with inspections carried out over the last twelve months was 2.88% this is slightly down from October’s twelve month rate. During the month of November150 Port State Control inspections were carried out in the UK. A total of 66 vessels had no deficiencies raised against them, 65 had between one and five deficiencies, 16 had between six and ten deficiencies, 3 had between eleven and twenty deficiencies and there were no vessels that had more than twenty deficiencies. Out of the detained vessels 3 were registered with flag states listed on the Paris MOU white list, 1 was registered with a fl...

Six people were rescued this afternoon from freezing waters in blizzard conditions are a dinghy sailing trip went wrong. A member of the public phoned Humber Coastguard at 13.50 this afternoon to report that there were people in the water off Alnmouth. RNLI Amble Inshore and Offshore Lifeboat were asked to head for the scene along with Amble Coastguard Rescue Team. All these volunteers made their way to the scene through treacherous, blizzard conditions. RAF Rescue 131 from Boulmer were also asked to attend and reached the scene first. When they arrived they found the sailors had managed to pull themselves out of the water but one 78 year old man was hypothermic, despite wearing a dry suit. He was flown to hospital at Wansbeck, where the aircraft has now been snowed in. The other dinghy sailors were checked by paramedics from the Northeast Ambulance service. Two others were found to be suffering from mild hypothermia. Graham Dawson, Watch Manager at Humber Coastguard said ...

Coastguard Rescue Teams are assisting the NHS and local authorities throughout the UK in the current winter weather conditions of snow and ice. Teams who have been active in the last 24 hours include;   South East ·        Holbrook ·        Eastbourne ·        Hastings ·        Rye Bay ·        Langdon Battery ·        Deal ·        Bexhill ·        Folkestone ·        Bembridge   Wales ·        Abersoch ·        Moelfre ·        LLandwrog ·        Barmouth   Scotland ·      ...

Falmouth Coastguard tonight coordinated the rescue of the crew of a Spanish fishing vessel REY DE OLAYA that caught fire 160 miles off the Scilly Isles. After being notified of the distress alert by RAF Kinloss at 17:25, Falmouth Coastguard asked the Spanish Coastguard in Madrid to contact the vessel. When there was no response the Spanish were then asked to send a fixed wing aircraft to the scene for reconnaissance. Falmouth also requested that the French Coastguard sent their helicopter Endurance to help Navy rescue helicopter 193 from Culdrose incase the crew needed to be evacuated. RAF Rescue 169 from Chivenor provided safety cover for both helicopters. Falmouth Coastguard broadcast a Mayday alert, requesting vessels in the area to head for the scene. They were also asked to try and contact the fishing vessel and prepare to rescue or receive casualties from life raft or helicopter. Merchant vessels MAUD, EURONIKE, SUMMER FLOWER responded with two fishing vessels GALIANA and ANX...

Coastguard Rescue Teams are assisting the NHS throughout the UK to reach their patients through the winter weather conditions of snow and ice. Teams who have been active in the last 12 hours include; South West • Bigbury South East • Hastings • Rye Bay • Needles • Newport • Portsmouth Wales • Holyhead • Rhosneigr • LLandwrog • Harlech • Rhossili • Port Isaac • Burry Port • Loughor • Borth North West • Whitehaven Scotland • Mallaig • Stornoway • Dunvegan • Benbecula • Kilchoan • Kirkwall These teams of volunteers have been involved in essential drug transfers to and from local hospitals; nursing staff transfers (including midwives) and renal patient transfers. Essential supplies for critically ill patients have been delivered and doctors have been taken by Coastguards to where they are needed in an emergency. In Wales, Loughor and Rhossili Coas...

Coastguard Rescue teams are assisting the NHS, local authorities and the Police in Western Scotland and North Wales today as heavy snow and blizzard conditions affect the areas. Teams who have been active in the last 24 hours include those from In the Stornoway District       Mallaig Benbecula Dunvegan Skye Portree Broadford Ness Stornoway Tarbert In the Clyde District: Fort William Kilchoan In the Holyhead District Penmon Bangor Llandudno These teams of volunteer Coastguard Rescue officers have been involved in essential drug transfers to and from local hospitals; nursing staff transfers and renal patient transfers. Essential supplies for critically ill patients have been delivered and doctors have been taken by Coastguards to where they are needed in an emergency. Several teams are also on standby to assist over the weekend.  Rod Johnson, Chief Coastguard said In extreme winter weather our partner emergency services, and local ...

Several Coastguard Rescue teams are helping to move medical staff and assisting the Police in Northern Scotland this evening as heavy snow and blizzard conditions affect the area. On the Island of Benbecula , the Coastguards have been using their 4x4 vehicle to provide transport for the medical staff at the local hospital. At 7pm this evening Stornoway Coastguard was asked by the Uists & Barra Hospital if they could assist with transport for staff who were unable to get to the hospital for their shift. The Benbecula Coastguard Rescue Team carried out the transfer of staff to the hospital and it is planned that they will do the same in the morning to ensure that the hospital staff are able to get to work. Meanwhile Aberdeen Coastguard has been assisting the Police in the north east of Scotland . The Police asked for Coastguards to help when several cars were reported to be stuck in snow around the Wick and Thurso areas. The Wick Sector Manager with the Wick, Helmsdale ...

Earlier this evening Aberdeen Coastguard were co-ordinating assistance to the offshore supply vessel the 628 GT ’Vos Vedette after her crew reported a fire in the engine room at around 8.15 pm this evening. She was about 60 nautical miles offshore at the time and had reported the fire to Aberdeen Coastguard on 2182 kHz. The crew of 12 reported that the vessel had been disabled and that a CO2 agent had been released into the engine space to douse the fire. The crew were conducting boundary cooling at the time. There were no reported injuries. The weather at the time were westerly winds of around 20 knots with a 5 metre swell and the crew also reported that they were in the middle of heavy snow showers which was limiting their communications abilities. Aberdeen Coastguard immediately relayed a mayday relay broadcast   and an MF DSC alert into the area to request further assistance and various other vessels responded including the ‘Vos Ocean’ who began proceeding towards the ‘Vos ...

Shetland Coastguard has today twice responded to requests for help from the Scottish Ambulance Service in appalling weather conditions in Orkney. At approximately 1400 this afternoon, the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre ( ARCC ) at RAF Kinloss, contacted Shetland Coastguard on behalf of the Ambulance Air Desk at Cardonald, regarding a 70-year-old woman on the island of Sanday , Orkney who had breathing difficulties and required airlift to hospital in Kirkwall . The Coastguard Rescue Helicopter based at Sumburgh, Shetland, Rescue 102 was tasked and despite appalling weather conditions, with northerly gales and heavy snow showers, the helicopter successfully extracted the patient from Sanday and took her to Kirkwall airport, where they were met by a waiting ambulance for onward conveyance to the Balfour Hospital . Then at 5.25pm this afternoon, Ambulance Control in Inverness requested assistance to take another elderly patient, a 75-year-old man with severe abdominal...

At 7.30 am this morning Stornoway Coastguard were alerted by the crew of the 16.5 metre fishing vessel ‘Sustain’ that they had hit rocks near Stockinish harbour and were taking water. The three crew reported that their pump was coping but that they needed an emergency pump and an escort into a safe haven. It was determined by the Coastguard that all three crew were wearing lifejackets and that a liferaft is on board. Fortunately the weather is flat calm at present. A further fishing vessel, the ‘Astronaut’ which was in Stockinish at the time is proceeded to the ‘Sustain’ which has 3000 litres of fuel on board. The Coastguard Rescue Helicopter R100 based at Stornoway has also been scrambled to the scene with an additional pump. The Stornoway RNLI all weather lifeboat was also requested to launch. The Tarbert Coastguard Rescue Team has also been turned out. Duty Watch Manager at Stornoway Coastguard, Murdo Macaulay said that the vessel’s crew were now reporting that the pumps were...

Liverpool Coastguard have been coordinating assistance to a small yacht ‘The Tern’ since 3.00 am this morning at Whitehaven. The yacht owner had been seeking permission to come into the harbour seeking a safe haven as the weather conditions had begun to deteriorate, and the Coastguard were alerted by the harbour authorities. The harbour authorities expressed concern at the time about the condition of the vessel, a 22 foot, single masted, single person crewed vessel with a blue hull. The weather forecast was suggesting westerly winds of 21 to 29 knots at St Bees Head. However by 5.40 am the yacht still endeavouring to keep out of the weather and he reported to the harbour authorities that he had taken a lot of water into his vessel. He was reassured by the authority that the Coastguard had been informed and the Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team were turned out. The Workington RNLI all weather lifeboat were also requested to launch. By now the wind was gusting 42 knots and had t...

Press Notice No: 362_10                                         Sun day 12th December, 2010 At 18.44 pm yesterday evening, Stornoway Coastguard rescue helicopter R100 was scrambled by Stornoway Coastguard after they had received a request for assistance from the NHS. The helicopter was sent to evacuate a fifty seven year old lady who was being seen by a doctor, who requested that she be evacuated to hospital urgently as she was experiencing breathing difficulties. The Kinlochbervie Coastguard rescue team were called out to set up a landing site for the helicopter. The helicopter took the lady onboard and took her to Raigmore Hospital Inverness. Ed Thompson, Watch Manager, Stornoway Coastguard said: This is the 200 th mission for this helicopter in 2010.   This is the first time in the hist...