SM you say
You can expect captains of the oil and gas industry to lobby for the MCT and SAR benefits of the Nimrod,
But it looks like yet again you are in la la land.
Industry leaders said last night that they had no concerns about search-and-rescue cover off Scotland’s coast after the decision not to replace the Nimrod surveillance aircraft.
An 11-strong fleet of ageing MR2 Nimrods at RAF Kinloss base was grounded at the end of March.
Since March, the search-and-rescue cover has been handled by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and its two Cessna aircraft based at East Midlands Airport.
Malcolm Webb, chief executive at industry body Oil and Gas UK, said that having the planes based further away from the bulk of oil and gas operations in the North Sea would not have any implications for safety.
He added: “In the past, having specialist air support on our doorstep, of course, has been a bonus but the loss of this will not impact on the industry’s ability to respond effectively in times of emergency.
“The emergency response plans put in place by the UK oil and gas industry are comprehensive and function independently of the RAF.”
Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association executive chairman Mike Park said he was currently unaware of any concerns among fishermen about the loss of the Nimrods.
An MCA spokesman said the “eye in the sky” duties performed by the Nimrods were now being carried out by the two Cessnas under what was meant to be a temporary arrangement.
But the government’s decision to scrap plans for the new MRA4s will see the cover provided indefinitely.
Nimrod MR2s were involved in co-ordinating the massive rescue operation following the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster and did a similar job 19 years later in the evacuation of 118 workers from the blazing Thistle Alpha platform off Shetland.
One of them co-ordinated the safe rescue of 18 passengers from a Super Puma helicopter which crashed into the North Sea last year.
Read more:
No search-and-rescue concerns - Press & Journal
And thee will be no pirates on Rutland Water either.