News the UK Government is extending by six months the contract for the coastguard's Orkney-based emergency tug, has been widely welcomed but there are renewed calls for the return of a second vessel for the west.
UK Transport Minister, Robert Goodwill, confirmed that the Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) Herakles, whose contract was set to end on March 31, will remain in place until September 30.
But it currently costs between £2m and £3m each year, depending on fuel costs, and the UK Government's recent Spending Review concluded that future funding of an ETV beyond March 31 2016 was not a Government priority.
But the Minister has now asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency(MCA) to consult with interested parties on the safety risks to shipping around the Northern and Western Isles and the scope of putting alternative, commercial towing arrangements in place. A final decision will be taken on future ETV provision before the end of September.
Originally there were four ETV's around Britain's coast as a result of Lord Donaldson’s inquiry into the sinking of the tanker Braer on Shetland in January 1993. They were introduced in 1994 primarily to intercept disabled ships, bring them under control and tow them to safety.
There was one each in the Dover Straits, the south west approaches, the Minches and around Shetland. But the Tory/Lib Dem coalition government moved to end the contracts by the end of 2011, before agreeing a short extension until March 2012.
But following a robust campaign led by the local authorities in the Highlands and Islands, ministers agreed to reintroduce a single government-funded ETV based in Orkney until at least 2015.
However there has been an ongoing campaign to have a tug for the west again based in Stornoway, and Angus Campbell, leader of the Western Isles Council is making the case again.
He said: “Clearly the Government recognises that there is an issue of safety and a risk to the environment and it is to be welcomed that they are extending the current contract which for the ETV based in the Northern Isles. However the Minister has also recognised that there is an issue in the sailing time needed to reach the waters around the Western Isles which needs to be addressed. The provision of a second ETV would address that issue”.
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