Proposals for modernisation of HM Coastguard

The MCGA has gone out to consultation on proposals to modernise the Coastguard service. The proposals are:

• a nationally networked system instead of the current pairing of stations
• two national Maritime Operations Centres one at Aberdeen and the other in the Portsmouth/Southampton area.
• six sub-centres at:
  • Dover,
  • Falmouth,
  • Humber
  • Swansea
  • either Belfast or Liverpool
  • either Stornoway or Shetland.

The two national centres and Dover would operate around the clock, the others during daylight hours only. The proposals would lead to a reduction in the number of regular coastguards from 491 to 248, although there would be an increase from 80 to 105 in the number of regular officers supporting the Coastguard Rescue Service.

The document 'Consultation on proposals for modernising the Coastguard 2010' is available from the MCGA website at http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/consultation_on_the_proposals_for_modernising_the_coastguard.pdf

CYCC will discuss the proposals at its annual conference in January and make a response.

The privatisation of the UK search and rescue helicopter fleet and the scrapping of the Sea King fleet is a separate issue. It has already be announced that the helicopter sar service is to be contracted to a private consortium, Soteria, from 2012, and will run from 12 bases across the UK.