Coastguard helicopter fears
David Ross Highland Correspondent
Share 25 Mar 2011
The union that represents Coastguard staff has warned ministers they must act before the service loses its helicopters.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents Government agency staff such as the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), was reacting after it emerged the operator of the UK’s four coastguard helicopters will begin withdrawing the aircraft next year.
However, there are no plans yet to replace them and industry sources warn time is already running out to find alternatives.
The Herald has learned that the CHC Helicopter company is committed to relocating the four helicopters, currently under contract to the Coastguard in the UK, to Ireland.
It is due to start a €500 million (£437m) contract for search-and-rescue services for the Irish Coastguard in July next year that will run for 10 years, with an option for a further three years.
The Canadian company based its tender for the Irish contract on using the four helicopters currently under contract to the MCA. These are based at Stornoway (Lewis) and Sumburgh (Shetland) as well as at Solent and Portland Coastguard stations in England.
Sumburgh will be the first to go in July 2012 and the last Portland in April 2013.
A new private operator had been due to be in place before then. However, the collapse of the £6 billion privatisation of the UK’s search-and-rescue helicopters last month now means there is no new operator contracted to replace CHC.
While the same is true for the two military search-and-rescue helicopter bases in Scotland, HMS Gannet at Prestwick in Ayrshire and RAF Lossiemouth in Moray (still under threat of closure), they can continue in the meantime. However, there is no such option for the Coastguard helicopters.
A CHC spokesman confirmed it was preparing to withdraw the helicopters contracted to the MCA. He said: “CHC continues to service the UK Interim SAR (search-and-rescue) contract until 2012. At the expiration of the UK Interim SAR contract, four S-92A aircraft will move to Ireland to begin service there. This will be a phased project ending in 2013.
“To date there has been no revision or extension of the Interim SAR contract, therefore there is no plan to replace those aircraft in Scotland.”
However, CHC would be keen to talk to the UK Government about continued coverage.
The MCA directed inquiries to the Department for Transport where a spokesman said: “Ministers are now considering their options with regards future search-and-rescue cover and will provide an update in due course.”
One helicopter pilot who has been flying in Scotland for almost 30 years, mostly in a rescue capacity, said he was astonished.
He said: “Everybody just assumed that CHC would carry on. The Government really doesn’t have much time to get this fixed.
“Normally you are talking about a lead-in time of at least 18 months for a new contract like this. There really have to be two-and-a-half crews for each aircraft – one on, one off and one half for leave cover.
“You have got to find these crews, interview them and train them for whatever aircraft that is going to be used.”
Jeremy Gautrey, PCS negotiations officer, said: “The shambolic end to the tendering process that resulted in the Government having to retender has now potentially left the Coastguard service stranded without the guarantee that it will have sufficient helicopters to carry out search-and-rescue operations when the current helicopters retire.
“PCS is calling on the Government to ensure that the Coastguard continues to have at its disposal sufficient helicopters to mount successful search-and-rescue operations until a new contract is signed and in place.”
