As we prepare to usher in the New Year it’s
a time to reflect on a busy 12 months and to take stock of what we’ve achieved
and learned in 2021.
Here’s just a snapshot of what we’ve been up
to, month by month.
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| Pic: Kyle Fuhrmann |
January – As the year began, HM Coastguard was
busy supporting fellow emergency services and other partners with the response
to the coronavirus pandemic. The support, which is still ongoing, involved
Coastguard Rescue Teams, vehicles and helicopters. In the Western Isles, teams
from Barra, Lochboisdale, Stornoway and Harris were using coastguard drivers
and vehicles to help NHS Western Isles with the transportation of completed
COVID-19 tests. The 140-mile journey involved two ferry crossings. The HM
Coastguard search and rescue helicopter team from Stornoway was also supporting
the response by transporting vulnerable patients who had tested positive for
COVID-19 from remote locations to hospital in Stornoway in order to receive
urgent care. In Suffolk and North East Essex, some of our coastguards enrolled
as community first responders, travelling to non Covid-19 related patients who
needed urgent medical assistance before ambulance staff were able to
attend.
February - The UK’s standing as a
world-leader in the safe testing and development of autonomous vessels was
further enhanced by the launch of pioneering working group MASSPeople. The
Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) International Training Standards
working group was launched with the aim of developing the highest possible
training standards for those operating autonomous vessels. Katy Ware, Director
of Maritime Safety and Standards explained: “As new technology is introduced
and new ways of working with it, we want to make sure the training standards
keep pace with it so that our seafarers stay safe while they work. This working
group will not only set the benchmark for qualifications required by operators
now but also in the future.”
March – The Maritime and Coastguard Agency
successfully prosecuted a skipper who was operating an unregistered fishing
vessel. It followed an investigation by the agency’s Regulatory Compliance
Investigations Team, who work tirelessly to investigate suspected breaches of
health and safety and to tackle environmental breaches of Merchant Shipping legislation.
Whether it’s fraudulent certification, a work-related death at sea or health
and safety failures, the team are committed to keeping people safe at sea. Lead
Maritime Investigator Jay Staff said: “We are committed to stopping dangerous
practices, and to holding to account those responsible. Our message to those who don’t comply with
the rules is simple – we will investigate and we will prosecute where
appropriate.”
April: Our coastguards carry out difficult
and technical rescues all year round. In April, one such rescue saw coastguard
rescue officers tested to their limit of their reach during an incident in
which they ‘undoubtedly’ saved a life. On Wednesday 7th April, HM Coastguard
received a report of a man in a precarious position on the side of a cliff in
Torquay. Two 12-year-old boys had called 999 after hearing faint shouts for
help.
Police acted quickly on arrival by
using throw-lines to temporarily stabilise the casualty, who was positioned on
the edge of the cliff and far enough down that it was a technically difficult
place to secure, with the rope equipment at the absolute limit of what it can
handle. Shortly afterwards the coastguards arrived with rope rescue equipment
before the coastguard rescue helicopter from Newquay was called in to winch the
casualty to safety.
Drew Parkinson,
Coastal Operations Area Commander for Devon, said: “Coastguards were on scene
extremely quickly owing to coastguard rescue teams conducting local safety patrols
throughout Easter. The professionalism of our coastguard rescue officers, local
police officers and the SAR helicopter crew undoubtedly saved a life.”
May – HM Coastguard launched a joint beach
safety campaign along with the RNLI to help keep people safe at the coast in
anticipation of an incredibly busy summer period. With record numbers of
families choosing to ‘staycation’ due to uncertainty over foreign holidays and
international travel, we worked with the RNLI to spread the message about
staying safe at the coast by visiting lifeguarded beaches, swimming between the
red and yellow flags, taking time to check the weather, tides and winds before
setting out and leaving inflatables at home.
June
– In June, the eyes of the world were on Carbis Bay, Cornwall, as world leaders
gathered for the G7 event. But the work began many months in advance for the
emergency services, military, local and regional authorities working to ensure
that everything went smoothly. Martin Leslie, Coastal Operations Area Commander
for Cornwall, explains: “It was months in the planning across the team, in
terms of the logistics, the anticipated events and the preparation to make sure
whatever happened, if someone was in trouble at the coast, we would be ready to
respond. “We took into account things like road closures for the event or the
challenges that protests might have given us and took the view, for example,
that we needed to have our teams at various times on station during the G7
event.” Balancing business as usual alongside the small matter of a massive global
event was key - as was working as part of a multi-agency set up. HM Coastguard
was involved right from the start, representing maritime safety at key
strategic groups and had people based at Devon and Cornwall Police Headquarters
for the whole of the G7 as part of the high-level response.
July:
Despite the many challenges presented by the pandemic, our surveyors continued
to work to ensure the safety of those who work in the fishing industry. In July we publicly announced the results of
the previous month’s targeted fishing vessel inspection campaign, which saw
surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency visiting ports in Scotland
and the South West of England, inspecting 212 vessels at random over seven
days. More than a fifth of these vessels were either detained or prohibited from
fishing as a result of this inspection. Fraser Heasley, Assistant Director,
Survey and Inspection (North) said: “We do all we can to keep people safe at
sea. While we work with the industry, we have to prevent vessels from
continuing to operate if it is clear they are not compliant with the standards
of safety set out in the regulations. Safety is non-negotiable.”
August: During the summer holidays foreign
travel restrictions and lockdown exhaustion saw people flocking to UK beaches
in one of our busiest ever summers.. Each of the thousands of incidents
reported to us was co-ordinated by our network of Maritime Rescue Coordination
Centres with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, based in Fareham, at the
heart of UK search and rescue operations. The network works around the
clock to send help to people in danger or distress at sea or at
the coast. Whether it’s a 999 call from a member of the public, a
Mayday distress call or a report from another emergency service, Coastguard
Officers will respond. The JRCC works with nine Maritime Rescue
Coordination Centres spread throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland and our London-based Maritime Rescue Coordination Sub
Centre to coordinate responses to incidents by gathering
appropriate information, making complex calculations and sending the most
appropriate resources, which could include coastguard rescue teams, helicopters
and lifeboats, to incidents which are often constantly
changing. These incidents can range from sinking vessels to
environmental disasters, from searching for high-risk missing people to
rescuing those at risk of drowning. Specialist officers are also able to
respond to oil spills and to deal with and advise on potential environmental
disasters.
October- As thousands poured into Glasgow
for COP26 from late October, coastguards were on hand to keep everyone safe in
the river city, whatever their reason to be there. Across the city’s
waterfront, coastguard rescue teams were at a constant state of readiness and
were out daily, ensuring water safety around the main event
areas. Volunteers from every coastguard area around the country joined together
to support teams already based in Scotland. Chief Executive Brian Johnson said:
“I’m always proud of the service and the way it steps up to whatever it's faced
with. I was extra proud to watch the coastguards in action and they more than
rose to the challenge of keeping people safe during an international event such
as COP26.”
Westminster Field of Remembrance to pay her respects on
behalf of the agency at the official opening of the garden.
December: HM Coastguard began a switch to a
state-of-the-art search and rescue radio network using fibre technology. More
than £175million has been invested in upgrading the Coastguard’s national radio
network across all 165 sites over the next two years, allowing the service to
continue to receive distress calls and co-ordinate rescue operations. Damien Oliver, Commercial and Programmes
Director for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, explains: “This new national
radio network will be central in preventing the loss of life on the coast and
at sea. After one of our busiest summers on record, it is evident now more than
ever, that we provide a state-of-the-art radio network system that will allow
our Coastguards to continue saving lives and provide reassurance that we are
here to respond to any emergency, along the coast or at sea.”
Next year will mark 200 years of HM
Coastguard and as we look back, we’re also looking forward to improving safety
on and around our coasts and working with all our partners and emergency
services in the coming year. Wishing you, your family, friends and colleagues
and safe and happy 2022!
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