Search and rescue operations from Northern Ireland's only dedicated coastguard centre are on the increase, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

The latest figures show that there were 50 per cent more callouts to the Bangor-based centre last year than in 2006.

Shipping Minister Mike Penning - who is behind controversial plans to streamline the UK's coastguard network, which could see Bangor either closed or reduced to daylight operation - also confirmed that more than a third of callouts were made at night.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the final decision on the coastguard proposals will be taken by 19 July.

On Saturday evening, July 2, Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat, Toshiba Wave Warrior, went to the assistance of two persons, when their vessel suffered engine failure and was drifting in the Urra Channel just outside Dromineer Bay.

On Saturday July 2, Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched, following a request by Valentia Coast Guard, to assist two persons on board a 22ft motor cruiser, that had suffered engine failure and was drifting close to rocks on the Urra shore. The Lifeboat with helm Eleanor Hooker, Ger Egan and Dom Sharkey on board, launched at 19.30hrs. Winds were southwesterly, Force 2. The lifeboat arrived on scene 19.35hrs. The two persons were safe and unharmed and both wearing life-jackets. The vessel was taken under tow, and tied safety alongside at the public harbour at Dromineer at 19.55hrs. The skipper of the vessel thanked the lifeboat crew and said that when he 'saw smoke coming from the engine, he had no option but to cut the power and call for help". He was reassured by the crew that he had done the right thing. The lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 20.20hrs.

At 17.23hrs on Friday July 1, Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat was requested to launch by Valentia Coast Guard, to assist two persons in difficulty in the water, after their jet ski failed close by the Scilly Islands, at the south-western end of Lough Derg. The Lifeboat with helm Peter Clarke, Eleanor Hooker and Ger Egan on board, launched at 17.35hrs. Soon after launching, the lifeboat was informed that a lakeboat was also going to the assistance of the persons in the water. The lifeboat arrived on scene 17.55hrs. The crew spoke to fishermen in the only lakeboat in the vicinity. The fishermen had no English but conveyed to the crew that they had taken the jet ski and the persons to a landing place on the Tipperary shore. Lifeboat crew searched the Tipperary shoreline indicated by the fishermen, including private harbours, but were unable to locate the jet-skiers or their jet-ski. The Coast Guard were unable to make contact with the person who had called in the request for help. The lifeoboat was stood down at 18.10hrs. The lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 18.40hrs

Two fishermen were rescued from their trawler off the Cumbrian coast on Monday morning when it began to take on water.

The News & Star reports that RNLI Workington responded to the fishermen's mayday call along with Maryport's coastguard and inshore rescue team.

Engline failure is being blamed for the incident, which occurred before 9.30am on Monday morning. The trawler has since been towed to Ireland for repairs.

An elderly man's life was saved this afternoon by his lifejacket after he fell from his yacht in to the water at Pembroke Ferry, on the Irish Sea.

Milford Haven coastguard was called at just after 4pm by the father of a 10 year old boy who had heard the elderly man calling for help. Milford Haven coastguard sent St. Govans Coastguard Rescue Team and an ambulance to the scene.

When help reached him it transpired that the elderly man was trying to repair his pennant mooring when he fell backwards in to the water. His lifejacket inflated but although he was 100 metres from the shore he wasn't a strong enough swimmer to swim against the tide back to the boat. He was in the water for around 30 minutes before the tide carried him in and he managed to scramble ashore.

Nigel Yelland, Watch Manager at Milford Haven Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre said:
"The MCA recommends that recreational sailors should wear lifejackets at all times while on deck and this afternoon's accident is a perfect example of why. Without a lifejacket this elderly gentleman is unlikely to have managed to keep his head above water for half an hour.

"I'd like to thank the caller and his son for both alerting us and racing to the rescue."

An Irish rower last week cut short his attempt to cross the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland.

Sean Moriarty told CBC News that he called for a rescue after two days at sea when his boat was flipped repeatedly in four-metre waves, damaging his electronic equipment.

Moriarty and his boat - the unfortunately named Positive Outcome - were picked up by a Canadian coastguard vessel and towed to St John's in Newfoundland on 13 June.

The Dingle native, who runs a construction firm, plans to ship his boat back home to Ireland.

The UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has published its annual canoeing and kayaking report for 2010.

Among 456 incidents involving canoes or kayaks across the UK, which include nine fatalities, many were due to people underestimating weather and tidal conditions.

The report highlighted that many canoe and kayak owners in Britain do not wear essential safety kit such as buoyancy suits or lifejackets, do not include contact details in their craft, and are not a part of the CG66 small boat safety scheme which enables the coastguard to easily identify them.

There have also been increased reports of kayakers getting into difficulty which turn out to be kayakers fishing offshore. The MCA urges any kayakers doing so to contact the coastguard to avoid wasted searches.

The report is available to read and download HERE.

At 07.52 am today, Liverpool Coastguard monitored a call from someone making a radio call that was not specifically directed at any receiving station. A Liverpool Coastguard officer responded to the call and communicated with the man.

It transpired that the caller was a sailor onboard his catamaran with his wife south of the Isle of Man who had taken some water on the vessel and believed that he was sinking.

Liverpool Coastguard working with the coastguards at the marine operations centre, Douglas on the Isle of Man requested the launch of the Port St Mary and Port Erin RNLI lifeboats to locate the vessel and render assistance.

The lifeboats located the vessel and pumped water from one of the hulls and towed it into port.

Paul Parkes, Watch Manager, Liverpool Coastguard said:

We recommend that you have adequate training in the use of VHF radio equipment, to ensure that when you have a situation that causes you concern, you make the appropriate call to secure the best possible response.

It is recommended that you fit VHF DSC radio equipment to your vessel which would enable the Coastguard to receive an accurate position of your vessel.

At 08.21 am, the FV 'About Time' which is an under 15 metre registered FV which operates out of Milford Haven called Coastguard on Channel 16 to report that he had lost a crewman.

There was three crew onboard and they had finished fishing and were heading back to Milford. One of the crewmen was determined to be missing one hour after being last seen by the other two crew.

The fisherman, who was of Latvian origin, was not wearing a life jacket.

Milford Haven MRCC initiated a mayday relay broadcast to secure any assistance from other vessels that may be in the immediate area.

They called out Coastguard rescue teams from Dale and Broad Haven and requested the launch of Angle and St David's RNLI lifeboats and inshore lifeboat. A rescue helicopter was also requested.

A search has been undertaken today by these SAR units and fourteen other vessels of different types. The search has now been terminated.

Nigel Yelland, Watch Manager, Milford Haven, said:

An extensive search has been undertaken by many vessels in the hope of finding this missing fisherman. Unfortunately, he was not wearing a lifejacket, which could have aided in his survivability in this incident.

The Irish Coast Guard has signed up to an important Search and Rescue cooperation agreement with the French Coast Guard.

Director of the Irish Coast Guard Chris Reynolds and Vice Admiral Anne-Francois de Saint-Salvy, Prefecture for the Atlantic Region and the Director of the French Coast Guard this morning signed an important agreement in Dublin on co-operation regarding Search and Rescue services.

The agreement further strengthens Irish and French co-operation for search and rescues services in the respective search and rescue regions.

The International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue provides for and encourages neighbouring countries to co-operate and assist one another in life-saving matters of search and rescue.

This technical agreement allows for the mutual cooperation and interoperability of aviation assets in the event of a major incident off Irelands south coast.

Both Coast Guards can provide either long range medium load helicopters or fixed wing aircraft that can intervene directly in support of the responsible coordinating search and rescue authority. While these events are rare it is necessary that such eventualities be considered and practised so as to be prepared for any eventuality.

Both Coast Guards absorb their own costs and so no additional burden is placed on the State. Both Coast Guards also recognise that similar support may be possible in the event of ship casualties within their respective Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) such as obtaining top cover for a long range helicopter mission to put a salvage team aboard a stricken vessel in our region.

In all these scenarios the Irish Air Corps will remain the Irish Coast Guards first call for fixed wing top cover from their CASA aircraft.

Speaking today, Director of the Irish Coast Guard, Chris Reynolds said: "This agreement is a very welcome development and will be mutually beneficial to the search and rescue capability provided by both our countries."

The Irish Coast Guard today successfully assisted the HSE in a medical evacuation of a young transplant patient from Dublin to London. The request for assistance was received by the Coast Guard at 2am this morning and involved a very critical timeframe.  In ten minutes, the Dublin-based Coast Guard helicopter crew were assembled and briefed and shortly afterwards, the helicopter and crew were en-route to Heathrow airport in London with the young patient, who was later transferred to Kings Cross Hospital.

The medical evacuation this morning was just one of a number of similar incidents involving Coast Guard crews around Ireland in the past 24 hours.  At 11am yesterday Dublin Coast Guard coordinated the rescue by the RNLI or 6 children and an adult from overturned canoes off Clogherhead. At 16:38pm yesterday the Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter lifted an injured crewmember from a fishing vessel in the Shannon Estuary where he were later transferred by ambulance to the mid-Western Regional Hospital.  At 17:52pm yesterday evening the Castletown Coast Guard Unit were tasked to respond to a call of an injured person on rocks at Ballydongen Beach, Allihies, Co. Cork.  At 7:56am this morning, the Sligo-based Coast Guard helicopter evacuated an ill crewmember from a fishing vessel 105 miles west of Loop Head with the Shannon Coast Guard helicopter standing by as top cover for the long distance operation.

Speaking today, Director of the Irish Coast Guard Chris Reynolds said: “It might seem like a busy 24 hours for the Coast Guard – but this is nothing out of the ordinary for our teams, who operate on a 24/7 basis and are always on standby in the event of emergencies.  I would like to congratulate all of our teams who were involved in the successful medical evacuations that took place in the 24 hours.  In particular, the evacuation at very short notice of the young transplant patient this morning. It is very unusual for the Coast Guard to operate out as far east as London, but we are delighted that the transfer went smoothly and that we could help.“