Call to rethink plans to close coastguard bases

SCOTTISH Government ministers have written to the UK minister for transport calling on him to reconsider plans to cut coastguard services in Scotland.

Environment secretary Richard Lochhead and transport minister Keith Brown sent a joint letter to Mike Penning claiming that the UK government’s plans to close Clyde and Forth coastguard stations give more consideration to saving money than saving lives.

The proposals would see the end of operations at the two stations in four years, with responsibility for waters guarded by the Forth centre being passed on to Aberdeen and stations south of the Border.

Responsibility for Clyde coastguard’s area, which is Scotland’s busiest station, would be shared between Stornoway and Belfast. This would leave Scotland with three co-ordination centres, cut from five. Scotland is said to have about 60 per cent of the coast in Great Britain, but the move would leave it with just a third of the stations in the UK.

As part of the “modernisation” plans, Aberdeen’s Coastguard Maritime Rescue Co- ordination Centre would also be downgraded, and the number of staff reduced.

Lochhead said Scotland was being used as a “guinea pig” as Clyde and Forth would be the first stations to close in the UK. He said: “Closing Clyde and Forth coastguard stations, downgrading Aberdeen and – despite a three-month reprieve – the possible removal of the two emergency tugs, would compromise safety and are moves heavily weighted towards saving money.

“The Aberdeen Rescue Co-ordination Centre is strategically placed at the centre of the oil and gas industry. Therefore, it’s very worrying that offshore energy incidents could instead be handled from the Southampton Marine Operations Centre. It’s also completely unjustifiable that Dover is proposed as the UK’s shadow MOC rather than Aberdeen.”