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Displaying items by tag: Coastguard

#COASTGUARD - The Irish Coast Guard is ill-prepared to respond to any major pollution incident off our coastline, according to a report commissioned by the Government.

As Lorna Siggins writes in The Irish Times on Friday, the report identified weaknesses in communication within the coastguard and in the training of volunteer crews, as well as deficiencies in the Marine Survey Office.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar, whose office commissioned the 'value for money' studies, said he would begin an action plan due in October to deal with such issues, which may require "tough decisions" - including the closure of a coastguard radio station at Malin or Valentia.

The studies by Fisher Associates highlighted the lack of a dedicated polluton control team within the coastguard, despite staff having "sufficient knowledge to respond".

Auditing of various pollution response plans was also found to be lax, while problems were also identified in management and training of the coastguard's 1,000 volunteers.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Coastguard

#coastguard – Now that the school holidays are here, Coastguards in Scotland and Northern Ireland have issued a timely notice to encourage children and families to stay safe whilst at the beach and along the coast.

Phil MacIver, HM Coastguard Sector Manager at Buchan said:

"We'd like to warn people against jumping into the water from cliffs and structures such as piers and bridges. Every year, nationally we deal with several serious injuries and some deaths as a result of this kind of activity. Tides make a massive difference and what may have been a deep lagoon could be just a shallow puddle only a couple of hours later. At this time of the year the water is still cold so be careful when entering the water, do it slowly and acclimatise gradually.

"Coastguards have also noticed an increase in the number of dogs that have fallen down cliffs. We'd like to warn people against attempting to rescue their dogs and encourage them to call the coastguard and ask for assistance.

"We want everyone who visits our coast to have a great time and to go home with happy memories. If you choose a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags you'll ensure that you have expert lifesavers looking out for you while you're in the water. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has launched a new 'beach finder' mobile app to make it easy for anyone heading to the seaside this summer to find their nearest lifeguarded beach, helping them to have fun whilst enjoying a safe visit. The app is available to download free-of-charge on both Android and Apple devices from www.rnli.org/beach

"If you're looking after children make sure that they are well supervised by adults whilst at the coast. We deal with numerous cases of lost children every year and it can be very distressing for children and adults alike.

"If you notice that someone is in difficulty, either alert the lifeguard if one is available or call the coastguard on 999.

Finally, have a great time and return home safely."

More information here

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#COASTGUARD - Staff from the Clyde coastguard in Scotland will go on strike late tonight in protest at the threatened closure of their station.

As the Clydebank Post reports, the strike in the early hours from 3am to 4am begins a week-long series of walkouts over the British government's plans to streamline the national coastguard network.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the control centre at Greenock is set to be scrapped with the loss of 31 jobs, while River Clyde rescues will in future be handled from Northern Ireland.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents Maritime and Coastguard Agency employees, says that the closure of coastguard units around the UK coastline would result in the loss of local knowledge that may be key to saving lives.

The union's general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We have always had grave concerns about the government's proposals to cut coastguard stations and staff, and we know this is shared by people in our coastal communities."

Last week campaigners in Merseyside launched an e-petition to stop the closure of Liverpool's search and rescue base, which covers North West England and much of the Irish Sea.

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#RESCUE – A successful search was undertaken this afternoon for two missing divers off the Copeland Islands at the entrance to Belfast Lough.

Belfast Coastguard received a VHF radio call on channel 16 at 12:20 pm this afternoon from the 'Ballyholme' dive club boat reporting that two divers were overdue whilst conducting a drift dive.

Belfast Coastguard put out a Mayday relay broadcast to all vessels in the area to assist in the search. A Rescue helicopter was scrambled via Dublin Coast Guard. RNLI all weather lifeboats from Donaghadee and Larne along with the inshore Bangor lifeboat were requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard. Coastguard Rescue Officers from Bangor were sent to conduct a coastal search in the vicinity of Orlock Point.

Gary Young, Watch Manager, Belfast Coastguard, says:

"Cobblers Den, a vessel on scene, located the two divers and assisted with their recovery from the water into Bangor lifeboat.  The two divers were then transferred onto Donaghadee lifeboat to be medically assessed.  The divers were reported as being fit and well and no further medical attention was required.

Belfast Coastguard would like to thank all the vessels that responded to the Mayday relay broadcast."

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#COASTGUARD - Campaigners for the Liverpool coastguard are urging the public to sign an e-petition to stop the closure of the city's search and rescue base.

According to BBC News, the Liverpool station at Crosby is one of eight centres across the United Kingdom set to be shut as part of the British Government's reorganisation of the national coastguard network.

Twenty jobs are expected to be lost in the closure, which could see the base for the UK Maritime Operations Centre move to England's South Coast.

Belfast's coastguard command centre at Bregenz House in Bangor was saved from the same fate last summer, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, but concerns remain over its staffing levels.

Liverpool coastguard currently covers the area in North West England from the Dee Estuary to the Mull of Galloway in Scotland, as well as much of the Irish Sea beyond the Isle of Man.

Last weekend alone it responded to 56 incidents in a 48-hour period.

Local staff have expressed fear that consolidation will see the region served by coastguards with no familiarity with the area.

A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) reiterated Shipping Minister Mike Penning's intention to "to create a resilient and fully networked national rescue co-ordination service".

The Liverpool coastguard e-petition is available via the campaign website at SaveLiverpoolCoastguard.org.

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#COAST GUARDCoast Guard skills were tested at the seventh Joint Search and Rescue Competition between the Irish Coast Guard and HM Coastguard Northern Ireland in Youghal, Co Cork, at the weekend.

The purpose of the event is to increase the level of professionalism of all coast guard members on the island.

Twelve team members from each of the divisions from Dublin, Malin, Valentia and HM Coastguard in Northern Ireland competed.

Organisers say the games are another step in developing joint training programmes between the Irish Coast Guard and HM Coastguard Northern Ireland.

JH Yghl JSAR 2012 01

Members of Dunmore East Coast Guard; Joanne Carroll and Martina McCarthy watching Derek Barrett on the climbing wall Photos: John Hennessy

JH Yghl JSAR 2012 02

Connie Heby, Achill Coast Guard, reaching new heights

JH Yghl JSAR 2012 04

Inter Divisional team C participating in the table top quiz

JH Yghl JSAR 2012 05

Dublin Coast Guard Team B, Joe Andrews, Fergus Kernan, Fran Conroy and Sarah Horan

JH Yghl JSAR 2012 06

Chris Reynolds, Director of IRCG, presenting the Captain Kirwan Cup to the overall winners of JSAR 2012, HM Coast Guard Team A, John Austin, Daniel McAuley, Gwenda Kenneally and Gareth McKeller, at the celebration dinner in the Quality Hotel, Redbarn, after the 7th annual JSAR 2012 competition

JH Yghl JSAR 2012 07

Mike Lee, OIC Youghal Coast Guard, handing over the JSAR flag to Frank Heidtke, Dingle Coast Guard Area Officer, who will be hosting next years competition

JH Yghl JSAR 2012 08

Chris Reynolds, Director of IRCG, Gerard O'Flynn, Manager Voluntary Services & Training at IRCG, Mike Lee, OIC Youghal Coast Guard and Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey, chief executive of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency


 

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#FERRY BABY – Belfast Coastguard is continuing to coordinate a search for a missing child who is believed to have fallen from a ferry in bound to Belfast from Scotland.

Last night the Coastguard received a call from a ferry reporting that two people were in the water in Belfast Lough. One person was recovered by the pilot boat at 6.25 pm, 15 minutes after the alarm was raised and was taken to hospital.

Last night's search involved RNLI lifeboats from Bangor and Donaghadee, an Irish Rescue helicopter, police helicopter, fast rescue craft from two ferries, tugs and a pilot boat. Coastguard rescue teams from Bangor and Portmuck also searched the shoreline of Belfast Lough. This search of Victoria Channel and Belfast Lough was suspended at 10pm last night and resumed at first light this morning with RNLI lifeboats from Bangor and Donaghadee, three Police Rhibs, the fishery protection vessel 'Banrion Uladh' and harbour patrol boats. Coastguard rescue teams from Port Muck and Bangor will also resume their shoreline search at 8am.

Steve Carson, Belfast Coastguard watch Manager says:

"There was an extensive search last night that sadly did not find the missing child so we are looking again for them this morning."

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#COASTGUARD – Belfast Coastguard is co-ordinating the search for two people who were seen falling from a ferry in bound to Belfast from Scotland.

Earlier this evening Coastguards received a call from a ferry reporting that two people were in the water in Belfast Lough. One person was recovered by the pilot boat at 6.25 pm, 15 minutes after the alarm was raised and was taken to hospital.

Bangor and Donaghadee RNLI lifeboat, an Irish Rescue helicopter, police helicopter, fast rescue craft from two ferries, tugs and a pilot boat are all engaged in a search for another missing person in the vicinity of Victoria Channel, Belfast Lough. Coastguard rescue teams from Bangor and Portmuck are also searching the shoreline of Belfast Lough.

Ian Murdoch, Belfast Coastguard watch Manager says:

"We have been searching for the second missing person for over two hours but sadly we have not found any sign of them so far."

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#COASTGUARD - Youghal in Co Cork will host the seventh Joint Search and Rescue (JSAR) competition between the Irish Coast Guard and HM Coastguard Northern Ireland this coming weekend 11-13 May.

The contest is organised by the volunteers of the Youghal Coast Guard unit, and aims to increase the level of awareness of all coast guard members in the island of Ireland, as well as enhance co-operation between services.

Twelve teams from each of Ireland's four coastguard divisions of Dublin, Malin, Valentia and Northern Ireland will take part. A wide range of skills will be tested, from leadership to search planning and co-ordination, chart work, knots, communications and salvage pumping.

The competition also provides a forum for the national maritime SAR management to discuss policy in an informal and friendly environment, and for volunteers from both jurisdictions to exchange their experiences.

Youghal Online has more on the story HERE.

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#COASTGUARD - The Irish Coast Guard has ended its search for a ferry passenger believed to be missing off the coast of Wexford, as the Irish Examiner reports.

The alarm was raised early yesterday morning when the passenger, who had been travelling by coach on the Irish Ferries vessel Isle of Inishmore from Pembroke to Rosslare, was not on board the ferry on arrival in Wexford.

Though the coastguard has stood down its search, Gardaí at Rosslare were as of yesterday continuing to search the shoreline.

Published in Coastguard
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The Irish Coast Guard

The Irish Coast Guard is Ireland's fourth 'Blue Light' service (along with An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance Service and the Fire Service). It provides a nationwide maritime emergency organisation as well as a variety of services to shipping and other government agencies.

The purpose of the Irish Coast Guard is to promote safety and security standards, and by doing so, prevent as far as possible, the loss of life at sea, and on inland waters, mountains and caves, and to provide effective emergency response services and to safeguard the quality of the marine environment.

The Irish Coast Guard has responsibility for Ireland's system of marine communications, surveillance and emergency management in Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and certain inland waterways.

It is responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue and counter-pollution and ship casualty operations. It also has responsibility for vessel traffic monitoring.

Operations in respect of maritime security, illegal drug trafficking, illegal migration and fisheries enforcement are co-ordinated by other bodies within the Irish Government.

On average, each year, the Irish Coast Guard is expected to:

  • handle 3,000 marine emergencies
  • assist 4,500 people and save about 200 lives
  • task Coast Guard helicopters on missions

The Coast Guard has been around in some form in Ireland since 1908.

Coast Guard helicopters

The Irish Coast Guard has contracted five medium-lift Sikorsky Search and Rescue helicopters deployed at bases in Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo.

The helicopters are designated wheels up from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours and 45 minutes at night. One aircraft is fitted and its crew trained for under slung cargo operations up to 3000kgs and is available on short notice based at Waterford.

These aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains of Ireland (32 counties).

They can also be used for assistance in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and aerial surveillance during daylight hours, lifting and passenger operations and other operations as authorised by the Coast Guard within appropriate regulations.

Irish Coastguard FAQs

The Irish Coast Guard provides nationwide maritime emergency response, while also promoting safety and security standards. It aims to prevent the loss of life at sea, on inland waters, on mountains and in caves; and to safeguard the quality of the marine environment.

The main role of the Irish Coast Guard is to rescue people from danger at sea or on land, to organise immediate medical transport and to assist boats and ships within the country's jurisdiction. It has three marine rescue centres in Dublin, Malin Head, Co Donegal, and Valentia Island, Co Kerry. The Dublin National Maritime Operations centre provides marine search and rescue responses and coordinates the response to marine casualty incidents with the Irish exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Yes, effectively, it is the fourth "blue light" service. The Marine Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) Valentia is the contact point for the coastal area between Ballycotton, Co Cork and Clifden, Co Galway. At the same time, the MRSC Malin Head covers the area between Clifden and Lough Foyle. Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Dublin covers Carlingford Lough, Co Louth to Ballycotton, Co Cork. Each MRCC/MRSC also broadcasts maritime safety information on VHF and MF radio, including navigational and gale warnings, shipping forecasts, local inshore forecasts, strong wind warnings and small craft warnings.

The Irish Coast Guard handles about 3,000 marine emergencies annually, and assists 4,500 people - saving an estimated 200 lives, according to the Department of Transport. In 2016, Irish Coast Guard helicopters completed 1,000 missions in a single year for the first time.

Yes, Irish Coast Guard helicopters evacuate medical patients from offshore islands to hospital on average about 100 times a year. In September 2017, the Department of Health announced that search and rescue pilots who work 24-hour duties would not be expected to perform any inter-hospital patient transfers. The Air Corps flies the Emergency Aeromedical Service, established in 2012 and using an AW139 twin-engine helicopter. Known by its call sign "Air Corps 112", it airlifted its 3,000th patient in autumn 2020.

The Irish Coast Guard works closely with the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which is responsible for the Northern Irish coast.

The Irish Coast Guard is a State-funded service, with both paid management personnel and volunteers, and is under the auspices of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is allocated approximately 74 million euro annually in funding, some 85 per cent of which pays for a helicopter contract that costs 60 million euro annually. The overall funding figure is "variable", an Oireachtas committee was told in 2019. Other significant expenditure items include volunteer training exercises, equipment, maintenance, renewal, and information technology.

The Irish Coast Guard has four search and rescue helicopter bases at Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo, run on a contract worth 50 million euro annually with an additional 10 million euro in costs by CHC Ireland. It provides five medium-lift Sikorsky S-92 helicopters and trained crew. The 44 Irish Coast Guard coastal units with 1,000 volunteers are classed as onshore search units, with 23 of the 44 units having rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) and 17 units having cliff rescue capability. The Irish Coast Guard has 60 buildings in total around the coast, and units have search vehicles fitted with blue lights, all-terrain vehicles or quads, first aid equipment, generators and area lighting, search equipment, marine radios, pyrotechnics and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Community Rescue Boats Ireland also provide lifeboats and crews to assist in search and rescue. The Irish Coast Guard works closely with the Garda Siochána, National Ambulance Service, Naval Service and Air Corps, Civil Defence, while fishing vessels, ships and other craft at sea offer assistance in search operations.

The helicopters are designated as airborne from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours, and 45 minutes at night. The aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, on inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains and cover the 32 counties. They can also assist in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and can transport offshore firefighters and ambulance teams. The Irish Coast Guard volunteers units are expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time of departing from the station house in ten minutes from notification during daylight and 20 minutes at night. They are also expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time to the scene of the incident in less than 60 minutes from notification by day and 75 minutes at night, subject to geographical limitations.

Units are managed by an officer-in-charge (three stripes on the uniform) and a deputy officer in charge (two stripes). Each team is trained in search skills, first aid, setting up helicopter landing sites and a range of maritime skills, while certain units are also trained in cliff rescue.

Volunteers receive an allowance for time spent on exercises and call-outs. What is the difference between the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI? The RNLI is a registered charity which has been saving lives at sea since 1824, and runs a 24/7 volunteer lifeboat service around the British and Irish coasts. It is a declared asset of the British Maritime and Coast Guard Agency and the Irish Coast Guard. Community Rescue Boats Ireland is a community rescue network of volunteers under the auspices of Water Safety Ireland.

No, it does not charge for rescue and nor do the RNLI or Community Rescue Boats Ireland.

The marine rescue centres maintain 19 VHF voice and DSC radio sites around the Irish coastline and a digital paging system. There are two VHF repeater test sites, four MF radio sites and two NAVTEX transmitter sites. Does Ireland have a national search and rescue plan? The first national search and rescue plan was published in July, 2019. It establishes the national framework for the overall development, deployment and improvement of search and rescue services within the Irish Search and Rescue Region and to meet domestic and international commitments. The purpose of the national search and rescue plan is to promote a planned and nationally coordinated search and rescue response to persons in distress at sea, in the air or on land.

Yes, the Irish Coast Guard is responsible for responding to spills of oil and other hazardous substances with the Irish pollution responsibility zone, along with providing an effective response to marine casualties and monitoring or intervening in marine salvage operations. It provides and maintains a 24-hour marine pollution notification at the three marine rescue centres. It coordinates exercises and tests of national and local pollution response plans.

The first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to die on duty was Caitriona Lucas, a highly trained member of the Doolin Coast Guard unit, while assisting in a search for a missing man by the Kilkee unit in September 2016. Six months later, four Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew – Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith -died when their Sikorsky S-92 struck Blackrock island off the Mayo coast on March 14, 2017. The Dublin-based Rescue 116 crew were providing "top cover" or communications for a medical emergency off the west coast and had been approaching Blacksod to refuel. Up until the five fatalities, the Irish Coast Guard recorded that more than a million "man hours" had been spent on more than 30,000 rescue missions since 1991.

Several investigations were initiated into each incident. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board was critical of the Irish Coast Guard in its final report into the death of Caitriona Lucas, while a separate Health and Safety Authority investigation has been completed, but not published. The Air Accident Investigation Unit final report into the Rescue 116 helicopter crash has not yet been published.

The Irish Coast Guard in its present form dates back to 1991, when the Irish Marine Emergency Service was formed after a campaign initiated by Dr Joan McGinley to improve air/sea rescue services on the west Irish coast. Before Irish independence, the British Admiralty was responsible for a Coast Guard (formerly the Water Guard or Preventative Boat Service) dating back to 1809. The West Coast Search and Rescue Action Committee was initiated with a public meeting in Killybegs, Co Donegal, in 1988 and the group was so effective that a Government report was commissioned, which recommended setting up a new division of the Department of the Marine to run the Marine Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (MRCC), then based at Shannon, along with the existing coast radio service, and coast and cliff rescue. A medium-range helicopter base was established at Shannon within two years. Initially, the base was served by the Air Corps.

The first director of what was then IMES was Capt Liam Kirwan, who had spent 20 years at sea and latterly worked with the Marine Survey Office. Capt Kirwan transformed a poorly funded voluntary coast and cliff rescue service into a trained network of cliff and sea rescue units – largely voluntary, but with paid management. The MRCC was relocated from Shannon to an IMES headquarters at the then Department of the Marine (now Department of Transport) in Leeson Lane, Dublin. The coast radio stations at Valentia, Co Kerry, and Malin Head, Co Donegal, became marine rescue-sub-centres.

The current director is Chris Reynolds, who has been in place since August 2007 and was formerly with the Naval Service. He has been seconded to the head of mission with the EUCAP Somalia - which has a mandate to enhance Somalia's maritime civilian law enforcement capacity – since January 2019.

  • Achill, Co. Mayo
  • Ardmore, Co. Waterford
  • Arklow, Co. Wicklow
  • Ballybunion, Co. Kerry
  • Ballycotton, Co. Cork
  • Ballyglass, Co. Mayo
  • Bonmahon, Co. Waterford
  • Bunbeg, Co. Donegal
  • Carnsore, Co. Wexford
  • Castlefreake, Co. Cork
  • Castletownbere, Co. Cork
  • Cleggan, Co. Galway
  • Clogherhead, Co. Louth
  • Costelloe Bay, Co. Galway
  • Courtown, Co. Wexford
  • Crosshaven, Co. Cork
  • Curracloe, Co. Wexford
  • Dingle, Co. Kerry
  • Doolin, Co. Clare
  • Drogheda, Co. Louth
  • Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
  • Dunmore East, Co. Waterford
  • Fethard, Co. Wexford
  • Glandore, Co. Cork
  • Glenderry, Co. Kerry
  • Goleen, Co. Cork
  • Greencastle, Co. Donegal
  • Greenore, Co. Louth
  • Greystones, Co. Wicklow
  • Guileen, Co. Cork
  • Howth, Co. Dublin
  • Kilkee, Co. Clare
  • Killala, Co. Mayo
  • Killybegs, Co. Donegal
  • Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford
  • Knightstown, Co. Kerry
  • Mulroy, Co. Donegal
  • North Aran, Co. Galway
  • Old Head Of Kinsale, Co. Cork
  • Oysterhaven, Co. Cork
  • Rosslare, Co. Wexford
  • Seven Heads, Co. Cork
  • Skerries, Co. Dublin Summercove, Co. Cork
  • Toe Head, Co. Cork
  • Tory Island, Co. Donegal
  • Tramore, Co. Waterford
  • Waterville, Co. Kerry
  • Westport, Co. Mayo
  • Wicklow
  • Youghal, Co. Cork

Sources: Department of Transport © Afloat 2020