News / Coastguard plans “dead in the water”
SHETLAND MSP Tavish Scott has said the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) plans to close coastguard stations throughout the UK are “dead in the water”, following the decision by the House of Commons transport select committee to hold a fresh inquiry into the matter.
The inquiry has been widely welcomed by coastguard staff, campaigners and politicians who have been warning the MCA that they were poorly thought out and extremely dangerous.
The MCA proposed to close more than half of their 18 coastguard co-ordinating stations, reducing Scotland to just one 24 hour operation at Aberdeen.
Lerwick and Stornoway were to have to fight it out retain a daylight only service, along with Belfast and Liverpool.
However it was evidence from the MCA chiefs of staff themselves that triggered the decision to hold an inquiry, after they gave oral evidence to the committee on 8 February.
One observer said that they had rarely seen the committee chairwoman Louise Ellman so enraged by the answers she received from Sir Alan Massey, who was described as leaving the oral session with “a bloody nose”.
Mr Scott said: “This means that the MCA’s current proposals are dead in the water.
“There is no doubt that the transport committee did not find the MCA’s evidence compelling, because otherwise why would they initiated a full inquiry.”
Mr Scott added that he was very pleased the inquiry would also examine the government’s decision to end the MCA’s contract with Klyne Tugs to operate the emergency towing vessels that were introduced following the Braer oil spill, off Shetland, in 1993.
“The service provided by the tugs and the coastguard stations are essentially combined and therefore it was wrong to look at them in isolation,” Mr Scott said.
“Where the MCA’s proposals were fundamentally flawed is that they had not carried out a risk assessment of the safety of their plans.
“I have absolutely no doubt the transport committee will pore over the safety implications of their plans and therefore I believe that what is currently on the table pass any objective scrutiny.”
Shetland islands Council convener Sandy Cluness, who led a delegation of conveners from the north of Scotland to meet shipping minister over the issue last week, said he was very pleased with the decision to hold an inquiry.
“This is good news and looks like some kind of U turn. It will certainly give the government pause for thought about their proposals,” Mr Cluness said.
Save Shetland Coastguard campaigners added: “We welcome this news. It is something we have been fighting for some time now and we are delighted. This now means that the proposals will be subjected to the full, public scrutiny they deserve. We feel sure that once these proposals are thoroughly examined they will be seen as not fit for purpose.”
The transport inquiry will also examine the MCA’s plans to review the Maritime Incident Response Group that fights fires and deals with chemical spillages offshore.
Oral evidence will be gathered after Easter, with written submissions welcomed until 26 April.
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