Safer lives – Preventing loss of life
Accident Prevention
Key Target 3: Ensure that at least 5% of available Coastguard time is spent on prevention activity. Coastguards, in addition to their normal duties in co-ordinating maritime search and rescue, embarked on a wide range of innovative and novel initiatives, all aimed at reducing the frequency and lessening the severity of preventable incidents in UK waters and around the coastline. These activities included working more closely with the media, with tourist information centres and with industry, in order to establish new prevention partnerships and alliances. Overall, we recorded a total of 6.1% of time spent in this work.
Recreational Safety
Sea Smart Campaign
We continued our beach and coastal safety campaign, `Sea Smart’, which is aimed to give greater safety awareness for children under the age of 14 and their parents. As part of the campaign, we launched a new safety resource for children – the Sea Smart Beach Band, which we made available free of charge at key Tourist Information Centres and Lifeguard stations around the coast. The great weather and the new wrist identification bands meant that Sea Smart more than doubled its media coverage from the previous year.
 | Danger on the Beach The vital search and rescue work of Her Majesty’s Coastguard was shown to an audience of millions during early spring of 2004 in the BBC One eight part series `Danger on the Beach’, which looked at the work of the maritime emergency services in south west Britain. This featured the drama of real life rescues, and such was its popularity that a second series has already been commissioned. |
Seafarers’ Safety
Seafarer Training and Certification
We have worked hard to improve the responsiveness of our services to seafarers. The new on-line services have proved to be very successful, and we were pleased that initial feedback from our customer survey indicates a general satisfaction level of over 75%. Nevertheless, we would like to improve further and our new Ministerial Target for 2004-05 challenges us to do that.
We have developed a programme of audits of the major training institutes and to date have audited five colleges. We are also providing a series of presentations to students and lecturers in colleges to explain the application process, which we hope is helping to make the service smoother both for us and for our customers.
We have made assessment visits to Malaysia, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovenia to set up mutual recognition Memoranda of Understanding for the issue of Certificates of Equivalent Competency, and we have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Logistics Corps regarding recognition of army maritime training certificates.
Health and Safety To co-incide with and implement the introduction of the revised seafarer medical examination regulations in 2002, we carried out a complete review of the medical examination system and procedures. Significant new documentation and information for both seafarers and the approved doctors was introduced, which proved to be very successful. As a result, the Team which included members of our Seafarer Health and Safety Branch, the Chamber of Shipping and NUMAST, and was led by Dr Tim Carter, the DfT’s Chief Medical Adviser, won the 2003 BUPA Health at Work award, issued by the BUPA Foundation. |  |
Human Element
The human element has been identified as the root cause in at least 60-80% of shipping accidents and incidents, and we recognise that this area is key to improving maritime safety and pollution prevention. We have produced a human element strategy to drive and promote continuous improvement in the integration of the human element into the maritime industry and its regulation. This was introduced, along with other human element papers, to the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO for their consideration. The IMO has consequently reconvened its Human Element Working Group to take this, and other human element issues, forward.
As part of our desire to continuously improve safety and quality in shipping, we have undertaken a review of Safety Management Systems in other safety related industries to identify how we can further improve the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. We have drafted a Human Element Guidance Manual for dissemination in 2004-05. We have developed a Human Element Assessment Tool (HEAT) for our Surveyors that we will be testing and developing further in 2004-05. This tool, whilst designed primarily for internal use will, when fully developed, also be available for use by our customers.
Search and Rescue (SAR) Response
Key Target 1: In at least 96% of incidents, take a decision on the appropriate search and rescue response to accidents and life threatening situations and initiate action if necessary within five minutes of being alerted. This relates to the speed with which we evaluate initial information contained in radio, satellite and 999 telephone emergency calls and decide on the action required. This may involve despatching rescue resources, or conducting further investigation through telecommunications media. In some cases, no action may be required.
The evaluation of initial information and decisions concerning response requires trained and competent SAR operators in Coastguard Co-ordination Centres who can recognise the severity, or otherwise, of each incident, taking into account the environmental conditions and understanding the limitations and capabilities of rescue resources. A manual audit of four Coastguard Co-ordination Centres was carried out to confirm our target was being achieved. This audit showed that the target was met in 98% of cases.
Local Police Forces have overall responsibility for inland search and rescue, however, we now have responsibility for those inland waters where the risks are high owing to large numbers of pleasure craft and passenger carrying vessels. This includes Loughs Neagh and Erne, Lochs Lochy, Oich and Ness (Caledonian Canal), the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, the River Thames (up to Chertsey) and the River Severn (up to Gloucester). Discussions continue in regard to Lake Windermere and Coniston Water, the Upper Clyde and Loch Lomond.
Firefighting at sea
We managed the firefighting at sea project ‘Sea of Change’, supported by the Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CACFOA) and Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate New Dimensions Group (NDG). In addition to the two Fire Officer project managers, two firemen have been seconded to the Agency to assist with the identification and provision of training needs. Specialist equipment manufacturers have been identified for personal protective equipment needed for helicopter transfer and items such as helicopter load bags for use by the Maritime Incident Response Group teams.
Civil Contingencies Bill
In 2000 the Deputy Prime Minister announced a fundamental review of emergency planning arrangements. This led to the development of a Civil Contingencies Bill and associated regulations and guidance. We have actively participated in this work, and in particular the new statutory framework and guidance for civil protection at a local level. This will designate the Agency as a Category 1 responder, with a duty to co-operate with other responders in sharing information, assessing risk, planning to prevent and respond to emergencies, planning for business continuity, and warning and informing the public in the event of an emergency.
Coastguard Systems
Incident Management System (IMS)
We are now half way through the roll-out of the third phase of the IMS programme, which we expect to complete in 2004. The technologies within IMS and the Integrated Coastguard Communications System (ICCS) will allow two Co-ordination Centres to operate in partnerships as a single ‘virtual centre’.
VHF Channel 16 Listening Watch
The dedicated distress watch via headset maintained by our Co-ordination Centres on the international VHF Distress, Safety and Calling frequency (Channel 16) was relaxed in August 2003 to a listening watch via loudspeaker with the option to wear headsets if the operational conditions demand it. The primary means of distress alerting on VHF should now be via VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) on VHF Channel 70 which is monitored on a 24 hour basis by our Co-ordination Centres.
Helicopter Harmonisation
We have made significant progress with the helicopter harmonisation programme with the development of a comprehensive business case as part of the Office of Government Commerce’s procurement process. This includes an operational analysis of incident data to inform both the business case and the continuing dialogue with the aeronautical industry.
One of the issues which has arisen from this project is a proposal to harmonise the command and control of SAR helicopters by establishing a Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC). This would entail combining the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC) which is currently at RAF Kinloss with a Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC), and as part of that process we have placed a Coastguard SAR Operator in the ARCC on a fact finding mission before we enter into more extensive trials on the formation of a JRCC.
Notable incidents
Several key incidents attracted extensive coverage during the year, although with media focus on larger scale incidents, these did not necessarily provide an accurate reflection of the wide range of search and rescue incidents to which HM Coastguard respond.
On 4 April 2003 the car carrier ORIENTAL HIGHWAY was 10 miles off Beachy Head on passage from Germany to Portugal with a cargo of 484 cars when a fire was discovered on one of the vessel’s main decks. Dover Coastguard scrambled the Coastguard rescue helicopter to transfer an East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service team to the vessel to assist her crew in fighting the fire. They were reinforced by a back up team from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, which were also transferred by the helicopter. Our tug ANGLIAN MONARCH attended and provided boundary cooling. The prompt response from the Coastguard and both fire services, with assistance from the RNLI’s Hastings and Eastbourne lifeboats, resulted in the fire being safely extinguished.
On 20 April 2003 Falmouth Coastguard co-ordinated the rescue of 16 crew members from the Anglo Spanish fishing vessel LEPHREETO after it had been in a collision with an unidentified vessel. The fishing vessel sank 170 miles south west of the Isles of Scilly in the South West Approaches, activating its 406 MHz emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). The Coastguard immediately began making emergency broadcasts into the area for other vessels to respond. Fortunately, the Master of the container ship, MARE LYCIUM, soon contacted Falmouth Coastguard to inform them that all 16 crew of the fishing vessel had been picked up from life rafts with no injuries being reported.
On 18 October 2003 Yarmouth Coastguard co-ordinated the rescue of 16 sea kayakers after they got into difficulty in rough, breaking seas off Wells next the Sea, North Norfolk. The Coastguard received a radio Mayday call from the group leader at 11:40 that morning, reporting that one kayak had been holed and a person was in the water. The group leader then requested immediate assistance as they were in difficulties. The Wells inshore lifeboat was quickly at the scene and rescued the person from the water and rushed him ashore for medical attention from the Ambulance Service. The inshore lifeboat then returned to collect a second kayaker, who had also been in the water but had managed to get back aboard his kayak, and took him to shore for medical attention. The other 14 kayakers were then escorted back to the beach by the inshore lifeboat where they were met by the Wells Coastguard Rescue Team. It was noted that the group leader’s effective use of a marine VHF DSC radio to call for assistance was a vital factor in the quick and successful response by the RNLI and local Coastguard Rescue Team.
 | Early on 27 December 2003 Forth Coastguard received a 999 call from a mobile phone but was not able to extract any information from the call. Much effort was then put into trying to be reconnected to the caller but to no avail. There was no further information as to the nature of the call and there was no evidence that this call was made from the sea. Without an idea of the location of the caller and no cellular information available, we were unable to take any further action. |
When the Coastguard eventually did receive an emergency call concerning two men who had put to sea in a small boat but were now missing, a major search and rescue operation was launched over several days involving Coastguard Rescue Teams from Fisherrow, Granton, Kinghorn and Leven conducting a shore search of the area and three SAR helicopters and eight RNLI lifeboats carrying out a sea search and investigating the islands in close proximity. The Central Police and Lothian and Borders rigid inflatable boats also assisted with the search. Sadly the men were not found. In stark contrast to the successful rescue above, where the use of VHF Radio provided direct communication to the Coastguard, this incident tragically highlights the potentially fatal limitations of using mobile telephones for distress alerting whilst at sea.
In a tragic incident which drew major national media attention, Liverpool Coastguard launched a full scale search operation on the night of 5 February 2004, involving local Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI lifeboats and hovercraft, RAF SAR helicopters and police helicopters after receiving reports of a large party of people trapped by a rising tide on a sand bank in Morecambe Bay. Fire Brigade and Mountain Rescue Teams also assisted in the search. By the time the search was called off on the morning of 7 February, 16 survivors of the group had been located and taken to safety, but the search also sadly recovered 19 bodies. Further survivors were believed to have left the scene of the tragedy without seeking assistance, making it difficult for rescuers to account for the whole group. The group, many of whom were Chinese, had been digging cockles for a commercial supplier but were sadly unfamiliar with the dangers of the area, which are well known to local people.
On a more positive note, we were immensely proud that the crew of the Stornoway Coastguard SAR helicopter received gallantry awards from the Queen for their rescue of nine crewmen from the fishing vessel HANSA in March 2001. This particular rescue was conducted in severe gale force winds and very high seas requiring airmanship of the highest order. When the aircraft finally landed they had only five minutes of fuel remaining.