Coastguard rescue helicopter

Stop gap for Coastguard rescue helicopter cover 13/7/11

Stop gap measures are being implemented to ensure that the Highlands and Islands coastline is not left without coasguard helicopter cover following the collapse of a £6 billion privatisation deal.

The Highlands and Islands coastline risked being left without arranged coastguard helicopter cover from 2013.

The Soteria consortium was to take over the contract and planned to install better Sikorsky S92s to be custom fitted for rescue missions.

But the Coalition government threw out the deal amid accusations of irregularities and the launch of a police probe into how the consortium got hold of commercially sensitive information.

A 12-month extension of the present contract was urgently invoked to allow more time for the government to assess the next step.

But the present Stornoway and Shetland coastguard search-and-rescue aircraft are being permanently shifted to a separate contract in Ireland - arranged when they were believed to be surplus to requirements under Soteria.

Now the UK government says it will tender for a five year contract to cover the maritime emergency void from June 2013.

Details of a replacement long term rescue helicopter service will be revealed later this year.

The Stornoway and Shetland helicopters, which have been based in the islands since 2007, will head to Ireland after operator CHC won a 10-year, €500 million contract to provide rescue services on behalf of the Irish Coastguard from 2012 onwards.