HM Coastguard

Our teams are starring on TV tonight ! Don’t miss BBC One’s   Masterchef at 9pm (Monday 30 September) to find out more. After four weeks of intense competition, it’s the first of the semi-finals, with the eight best cooks remaining. Tonight’s show kicks off with the celebrities’ toughest challenge so far. They battle gale-force winds as they cook in tents perched high on top of the iconic white cliffs of Dover.  They need to defy the elements to serve up a feast for Her Majesty’s Coastguard and the 120 staff and volunteers who are responsible for keeping one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes safe. Split into two teams, it’s a race against the clock as the celebrities must design and create four mouth-watering dishes each (a meat, fish and vegetarian dish and a desert). Then it’s back to the MasterChef kitchen, where they face an Invention Test, using leftover ingredients from the last challenge. At the end of this challenge, two more celebrities will...

Two people have been rescued from the water at Castle Beach, Cornwall. A 999 call came into Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre at 10:40 yesterday (26th September) The caller could see two swimmers in difficulty and drifting out to sea off Castle Beach. Richie Williams (Left) Marc Thomas (Right) The beach is only 300 metres from one of the UK's nationwide Coastguard bases and it meant that help was with the swimmers within 10 minutes of the initial 999 call.  The people were about 30 metres off shore and being dragged out by the currents but thankfully they were quickly rescued from the choppy waters by Senior Coastal Operations Officers, Marc Thomas and Richie Williams who were first to arrive. Marc entered the water, secured by safety lines to his colleague Richie who was providing shore support, in a rescue technique that all coastguard teams are trained in.  Marc swam out and reached the people and all three were then pulled bac...

                                                                                                                                 27 September 2019 Seafish will be withdrawing from providing marine survey services in July 2020 following a decision by its Board to terminate its agreement with the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA). Seafish has been surveying and certificating fishing vessels on behalf of the MCA for sixty years and currently employs a small team of marine surveyors to deliver this service throughout the UK. However, Seafish considers that over the years the size of the service has been reduced to a leve...

A crew member who went overboard from his sailing boat in the early hours of this morning was rescued thanks in no small part to the lifejacket he was wearing. The alarm was raised through a Mayday to HM Coastguard just after 3am today (24th September) from the 16m vessel. Gale force winds - southerly Force 7 - in the area made it a challenging rescue. Dungeness RNLI Lifeboat and the HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Lydd were sent and the man was rescued from the water by the crew just before 3.50am. He was taken to Ashford Hospital for treatment. James Crane, senior maritime operation officer with HM Coastguard said: ‘There is no doubt that in these dreadful weather conditions, this man’s rescue was made more straightforward because he was wearing a life jacket, which was inflated, and the strobe light was in a good working condition making him very visible in the water. ‘It meant the helicopter crew could see him while they were on their way to the search area.’ ...

Photo credit: Geoffrey Lee (Planefocus) MCA roadshow The MCA is hosting a roadshow around the UK to answer questions and help get the fishing community up to speed with requirements. Ports the MCA intends to visit are listed below. Keep an eye on the list to find out when the MCA will be visiting a location near you – full details including venues, dates and times will be updated here, but please check back nearer the time of your event to confirm final details as they could change. Wales Swansea:  Due to unforeseen circumstances, the roadshow at Swansea has postponed until the New Year. Please keep an eye out for further details. TBC England Brixham: Monday 2 December, 11am to 2pm: Brixham Trawler Agents, New Fish Quay, Brixham, TQ5 8AW Mevagissey: Thursday 5 December, 11:30am to 2:30pm: Mevagissey Social Club, Jetty St, Mevagissey, Saint Austell, PL26 6UH Newlyn: As a mark of respect following the recent tragedy on a local fishing vessel, the MCA will be post...

Director of Maritime Safety and Standards Katy Ware has been paying tribute to those who believed in and supported her through her career at the World Maritime Day Parallel Event being held in Columbia. The event which was helping to spotlight issues affecting women in maritime that are relevant to the wider community gave Katy, who is also the UK's Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization an opportunity to reflect publicly on how she has personally been empowered in maritime. The event was organised by Colombia Direccion General Maritime. Katy said: 'Whilst I have been working in a man's world, there is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have got where I am without the army of men who have believed in me, supported me, trained me and counselled me. 'If we are to empower women in the maritime sector we must involve those men who have believed in us to lead by example. What we need in maritime is women and men who believe in thems...

For our Lymington Coastguard Rescue Team, the day went off with a bang. Literally!  Thankfully a keen eyed member of the public who was out for a stroll spotted something unusual in the mud on the coastline at Lymington and he knew exactly the best thing to do. He also had the presence of mind to take a quick snap on his mobile phone which he later sent to us after he'd put us on alert by calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard. The local team from Lymington was sent on 6 September, together with colleagues from Hampshire Police to inspect the scene and take more photographic evidence. The EoD (known colloquially as the bomb squad) confirmed it was definitely an unexploded grenade and sent specialists to the scene to make it safe. A controlled detonation was the answer and it meant that the teams could capture it all on camera from a safe distance. See the video here:  https://youtu.be/xbn5TzYZIKA Colin Tabor, Lymington's station officer   s...

We've won a first in the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) Awards 2019, a scheme that recognises excellence in international rescue operations and services around the world. The IMRF awards scheme is now in its fourth year and the MCA has scooped the top award in the Innovation and Technology category!   This recognises the development of an innovative process, technology or piece of equipment that contributes to saving lives in search and rescue (SAR) operations. The ceremony took place on 10 September on board the HQS Wellington in central London as part of London International Shipping Week. The MCA’s multi-faceted pathfinder projects to explore the use of remotely operated vehicles in SAR operations has secured the award. HM Coastguard has a wide range of assets and technologies which are used in delivery of functions such as search and rescue helicopters, satellite imaging and detection, radar, search planning software. Drones and new ...

The team which oversees work around autonomous ships has been showing people how they will work in practice, including how they communicate with each other. People from the Maritime Autonomy Regulation Lab, which was set up to look at how the Maritime & Coastguard Agency will regulate autonomous surface ships and support the wider UK industry say it’s about exploring how to keep regulation up to speed with new technologies. This week the team, including the Government’s innovative Policy Lab, was at the Department for Transport’s London International Shipping Week technology showcase giving people the opportunity to consider how autonomous ships may communicate with other ships using an art installation of flags, with both current and speculative flag designs. They were joined by specialists from Solis Marine who showed how data can be used to support the testing of autonomous ships and systems. Katrina Kemp from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency is working on ...

Surveyors from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency have been overseeing a drill on board a ship in Southampton. The exercise which was devised by the surveyors, put the crew of the MSC Preziosa through their paces watching and assessing their response to a fire-based scenario on board and involved Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service  who were able to test their ability to respond to an emergency on a large cruise ship in the port of Southampton.   As an exercise it brought together f ire-fighting response, medical teams as well as coordination of the incident on the bridge and the movement of about 1,000 crewmen ashore simulating the evacuation of passengers. Simon Graves, Assistant Director, Technical Performance said: ‘The most important thing about these exercises is the learning points that all of us can take away. As surveyors working with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, we’re more than happy to arrange and oversee such exercises and offer advice where necessa...

We’re bigger and better than we’ve ever been at the Southampton Boat Show this year, so if you’re paying a visit to the show , why not drop by our stand, B038, near the Holiday Inn, between the RNLI and RYA.   Come and chat to us about   get ting prepared – is everything seaworthy and serviced?   plan ning your trip – voyage planning, legal requirements, what to do in an emergency   stay ing in touch – ask us about VHF DSC, EPIRB, PLB, RYA SafeTrx , flares and other alerting equipment   lifejackets and buoyancy aids – maintenance and how to use them   pollution at sea – what to do if you find it, how to prevent it and legal requirements   the Coastguard Rescue Service – who we are and what we do     RYA SafeTrx – try it in action     Ask us about the free RYA SafeTrx app, the HMCG approved tracking and alerting system, available for all water users. Learn how it keeps us connect...

We've been shortlisted for the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) Awards 2019, a scheme that recognises excellence in international rescue operations and services around the world. The IMRF awards scheme is now in its fourth year and the MCA is shortlisted for the top award in the Innovation and Technology category which is for the development of an innovative process, technology or piece of equipment that contributes to saving lives in search and rescue (SAR) operations. Vote for Us on Facebook and help secure a win !   https://www.facebook.com/internationalmaritimerescuefederation The ceremony at which the winners will be announced takes place on 10 September on board the HQS Wellington in central London as part of London International Shipping Week. Up for the award is the MCA’s multi-faceted pathfinder projects to explore the use of remotely operated vehicles in SAR operations. HM Coastguard has a wide range of assets and technol...

It’s a lucky dog’s life for terrier Archie who was rescued after falling from a cliff at Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight yesterday (3 September). The four year old terrier had slipped and taken a tumble and ended up perched on a ledge at Fort Redoubt. Worried owners, Mr Brian Noakes and Mrs Noakes called 999 and asked HM Coastguard for help at 11.30am. Coastguard Rescue Teams from the Needles went to the scene while the Freshwater Independent Lifeboat was launched. The lifeboat teams found the pup on a ledge with no obvious sign of trauma. Within just half an hour of receiving the emergency call, lucky Archie was on board the lifeboat and on his way back to the lifeboat station be re-united with his very relieved owners and his other canine family members Mitsy and Chester.  SAFETY ADVICE  The UK’s spectacular coastlines are ideal for exploring. By following a few simple safety tips from the UK Coastguard, we can make sure that people get the most...