No maritime tug cover as legalities delay reprieve 1/10/11
Scotland’s coastline is currently unprotected without emergency coastguard tug cover as efforts are made to put a temporary contract in place.
It is understood it could take days to actually sort out the last minute reprieve announced last night.
The last vessel on station was the Anglian Earl which stopped her patrol duties and left the area this morning.
She was been diverted to anchor off Wick at while the UK government try and thrash out the legal complexities of an interim deal. A second vessel, the Anglian Sovereign is undergoing a refit in Aberdeen harbour.
If an arrangements cannot be made with present tug operators JP Knight, the government may charter two similar vessels from other ship owners to honour its pledge to keep two safety tugs in the north until the end of December. Some £3 million would be required to
Western Isles Council leader Angus Campbell reckons the hiccup is little to worry about given the commitment to continue emergency tug cover to the end of the year which gives vital breathing space to put a sustainable longer term solution in place.
He says, in fairness, just twenty four hours ago the tug contract was completely axed and maritime Scotland faced a future without any emergency salvage vessel cover at all.
The government is now seeking to raid other department budgets to try and pay for the long term running costs for the Stornoway and Shetland tugs.