HM Coastguard

The fishing vessel ‘Progress’ was struck by lightning this afternoon when fishing a few miles off North Foreland. The lightning hit the wheelhouse shattering the windows. The strike also destroyed all the electrical equipment and navigation lights. Luckily, both crew members were on the deck at the time and so escaped injury. Using a mobile phone the crew called the Ramsgate RNLI Lifeboat for assistance. They towed the vessel back to Ramsgate where the crew were met by the Coastguard Rescue Team from Margate . Dover Coastguard Watch Manager Bob Giles said:   "The crew of this fishing vessel were extremely lucky. They were fishing in an area with mobile phone reception and so still had a way to call for help when the lightning strike blew out their communications equipment, shattered the glass in the wheel house, disabled their engine and blew a seacock through the bottom of the vessel causing an ingress of water. "Dover Coastguard were called and Ramsgate lifeboat...

The operation to remove the remaining 24,000 litres of fuel oil, along with oily water and other hazardous materials from the grounded vessel ‘Carrier’ was completed yesterday evening. The vessel, which ran aground on 4 April near Llanddulas in North Wales , remains aground and is resting against concrete dolosse blocks on the beach close to the North Wales Expressway (A55).   The owners of the vessel have declared it a Constructive Total Loss. On Saturday, PGC Demolition, the same company who were awarded the contract to remove the fuel oil from the vessel, were also awarded the contract to remove the wreck of the vessel.  Their proposals to cut the vessel up on site and remove it for recycling have been approved by the Deputy to the Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, with work expected to start today and last for a period of up to ten weeks. 

A 48-year-old man who was reported missing by his wife after he went out walking near Kingston in Devon earlier this afternoon, has been located and airlifted to hospital after a search coordinated by Brixham Coastguard. The concerned wife contacted Brixham Coastguard at 7.30 this evening to report that her husband had set out to walk from Wonwell Beach to Challaborough earlier that afternoon and despite his plans to call her when he was ready to be picked up and brought home, she had not heard from him.   Brixham Coastguard sent the Bigbury, Hope Cove and Yealm Coastguard Rescue Teams to the scene to begin a strategic search of four search areas, with Yealm Coastguard Rescue Team also providing a communications link between the other resources involved.   A Devon and Cornwall Police Helicopter and a Royal Navy Helicopter from RNAS Culdrose were also scrambled to search along the southwest coast path.   With poor weather on scene (rain and strong winds) and the walker r...

Two people, along with their two dogs, had to be rescued after they became cut off by the tide whilst out walking at Far Arnside near North Morecambe. At 11.10 this morning, Liverpool Coastguard received a flurry of 999 calls from concerned members of the public who could see the people out walking and reported that the tide was coming in around them.   At 11.15 one of the pair involved rang Liverpool Coastguard to ask for help.   He told the Coastguard that they were trying to make it to shore but being forced back by the water. Liverpool Coastguard sent the Arnside Coastguard Rescue Team (who are equipped with rescue jet skis) to the scene, and requested the launch of the Morecambe RNLI lifeboat.   With the water coming in fast around the pair, 999 calls continued to come into the Operations Room from worried members of the public ashore.   The Coastguard Rescue Team located the casualties, who were by this time knee deep in water, and supplied them with lifeja...

Six holidaymakers were taken ashore by the Horton and Port Eynon RNLI lifeboat this afternoon after Swansea Coastguard had to send rescue resources to bring them back to the mainland when they became cut off by the tide. Worm’s Head, near Rhossili in the Gower Peninsula, is accessible by crossing a causeway which is exposed approximately 2.5 hours before and after low tide.   At 4.25 this afternoon, the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) based at Worm’s Head, contacted Swansea Coastguard to let them know that numerous people had walked over to Worm’s Head but not returned, and that the causeway was flooding, meaning they would be unable to get back to shore.   Swansea Coastguard sent the Rhossili Coastguard Rescue Team to the scene, who confirmed that there were six people in need of rescue.   Swansea Coastguard requested the launch of the RNLI Horton and Port Eynon lifeboat, which made two trips to bring the six people (aged between 20 and 30 years old) safely back t...

A French sailor who was sailing a single-handed racing yacht in gale force weather has been rescued 26 miles south of the Isles of Scilly. Falmouth Coastguard was alerted to the sailor’s plight at 4.00 pm this afternoon, after receiving a VHF digital selective calling (DSC) alert from the vessel, ‘Betelgeuse’. Because the sailor used DSC connected to a GPS transponder, coastguards received an instant accurate position and put out a broadcast to all shipping asking for assistance from vessels in the area. The car carrier ‘Aquamarine Ace’ responded and offered to go to the assistance of the yacht, which was half an hour away. The yacht had become dismasted and communication over any distance was therefore difficult, so as well as the ship providing a lee to the yacht, they were also able to communicate information from the yacht to the coastguard. Meanwhile, Falmouth Coastguard had requested St Mary’s RNLI lifeboat to launch. The lifeboat was an hour away in rough weather with a five met...

Severe weather has caused four fishing vessels and a yacht to break from their moorings in Fishguard Harbour today. The first report of a fishing vessel that had broken its moorings was received by Milford Haven Coastguard at just before 7 this morning when the northeasterly wind was gusting to gale force 9 /10. The fishing vessel ‘Pisces’ had been moored near the inner breakwater at Fishguard Harbour and had broken free. A crew member from the ‘Cariad M’ boarded the vessel and managed to restart the engine and take it to a safe place. The Coastguard then received four further calls about fishing vessels that had broken free from moorings including the vessel ‘Jay-C’ that was beached near the Seaview Hotel, Fishguard. The ‘Euroclydon’ broke down when it was leaving its moorings in the harbour. It was swept on to the rocks. The ‘Megan M’ used their RHIB the ‘Cariad M’ to get a line aboard the ‘Euroclydon’ until the Fishguard RNLI all-weather lifeboat could reach the scene and tow ...