Ievoli Black: HM Coastguard’s Emergency Towing Vessel


Did you know that among its fleet of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, HM Coastguard also operates an Emergency Towing Vessel?
Ievoli Black, HM Coastguard's Emergency Towing Vehicle

The Ievoli Black is a 70-metre Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) that fulfils the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s requirement to provide a single large ocean-going towing vessel that can respond to maritime emergencies.

The 2,283-tonne UK-flagged vessel operates to the north and west of Scotland and can tow ships in distress out of danger, reducing the possibility of a ship casualty becoming a hazard to safe navigation, or at risk of vessel grounding, which could result in cargo or oil pollution. 

Ievoli Black can also undertake other duties, such as salvage support, firefighting, search and rescue incident support and can assist with the agency’s counter pollution response. 

HM Coastguard’s ETV service, which has been run for more than 20 years, underlines the UK Government’s commitment to protecting the marine environment, particularly in challenging areas such as north and north-western Scotland where commercial tugs are scarce.

Stan Woznicki, Head of Counter Pollution at the MCA, said: “Our ETV provision is an essential resource; able to carry out a multitude of roles on behalf of HM Coastguard and the MCA. 

“In areas to the north and west of Scotland, there’s a critical lack of towage solutions available to vessels in distress during a maritime emergency. Ievoli Black ensures that we can protect vulnerable areas of the UK coast with a vessel specifically equipped to intervene.”


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