Marine Rescue News from Ireland
Record Year for Rescues as People Turn to Coast & Waterways During Covid-19
28th October 2020 Rescue
Rescue agencies are reporting a record year for incidents on the water as thousands of people turned to the coastline, lakes and rivers during Covid-19. The Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland have all been under pressure to…
New Review Board Appointed into Draft Final Rescue 116 Helicopter Crash Report
27th October 2020 Rescue
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has appointed a new review board into the Air Accident Investigation Unit’s (AAIU) final report on the Rescue 116 helicopter crash. As The Irish Independent reports today, the review experienced a setback last month when…
Belfast Harbour has pledged support to Lagan Search & Rescue to the tune of £100,000 (€110,000) over the next five years, as the News Letter reports. The arrangement includes continued provision of an operations base and lifeboat berths for the…
UK Coastguard Responded to 31,000 Incidents at the Coast - Annual Report
22nd October 2020 Coastguard
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) annual report for April 2019 – March 2020 has been published this week, highlighting the work of the Agency for the 12 month period. Although the report doesn’t cover the period where the…
Yesterday (Sunday 18th) Lough Neagh Rescue came to the aid of a Bayliner speedboat with one person and a dog on board in the vicinity of Rams Island on the Lough. The vessel was experiencing engine difficulties. Rams Island is…
Skippingstone Beach is a popular swimming venue a short distance to the west of Bangor Harbour on Belfast Lough and sadly was the scene this morning (13th October) of a fatality. It is only a few hundred yards from the…
Two people — one with an injured ankle — were rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after getting stuck on a cliff near the Baily Lighthouse on Howth Head yesterday afternoon (Sunday 11 October). Howth Coast Guard’s cliff team reached the scene…
Last Sunday (4th October) Lough Neagh Rescue Lifeboat was tasked to two people stranded on Coney Island as their vessel had mechanical issues. Coney Island is owned by the National Trust and lies in the south-west corner of Lough Neagh…
Nightfall Rescue Difficulties Prompt Call For Kayakers To Carry Means Of Attracting Attention
5th October 2020 Kayaking
Kayakers have been urged to always carry some means of attracting attention in an emergency, such as flares or a torch. The call from the RNLI came after an incident off Somerset in the UK last month in which two…
The two Galway fishermen who rescued two paddleboarders in August have been honoured at a mayoral reception. Mayor of Galway Mike Cubbard described Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan as “Claddagh royalty” when he presented them with a framed presentation…
A young girl was rescued after she slipped and fell onto a coastal cliff in Co Down yesterday afternoon (Sunday 27 September). The major rescue operation took place at Ardglass after the 11-year-old slipped 20 feet down a steep bank…
Irish Coast Guard Saved Nearly 380 Lives In 2019, Says First Report On New National SAR Plan
22nd September 2020 Coastguard
The Irish Coast Guard saved 379 lives and assisted more than 3,500 people during the course of 2019. The figures are included in the first annual report on Ireland’s National Search and Rescue Plan, which was published yesterday (Monday 21…
Gardai Investigate Engine & GPS Theft from Corrib Mask Search & Rescue Craft
21st September 2020 Rescue
A west of Ireland community search and rescue service says it is “devastated” after the theft of up to 13,000 euro of equipment from its Zodiac rescue craft. As Afloat reported earlier, a Yamaha engine and GPS plotter were stolen…
Corrib Mask Search and Rescue is appealing for any information after its newly acquired RIB was stripped of its motor and GPS equipment. The Zodiac boat, which was stored in the Cong area, was targeted some time between Thursday (17…
Seven people were rescued from two vessels that ran aground on Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland on Saturday night (12 September). Lifeboats and shore crew were quickly tasked by Belfast Coastguard to the scene at Coney Island, where the vessels…
A busy week of callouts for Co Wexford’s Cahore Inshore Rescue Service began on Tuesday (8 September) with the rescue of a father and son who got into difficulty on an inflatable toy off Cahore Pier. As the Irish Mirror…