Welcome to Coastguard SOS.com
Our aim is to continue to raise greater awareness of Government plans to close 50% of the UK’s Coastguard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres and to campaign for the retention of all stations.
On this website you will find information about how you can get involved with saving the Coastguard stations and why we need your help to save them.
“The sea finds out everything you did wrong” - Francis Stokes
History.
In December 2010 the UK Government announced modernisation consultation proposals for HM Coastguard. At that time the intention was to reduce the UK’s eighteen Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres to just two centres which would operate 24hrs per day. These centres (MOC’s) would be supported by only five sub centres that would only be operational throughout “daylight hours only”.(See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12007031).
UK Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCC’s) are responsible for the co-ordination of Search and Rescue (SAR) along the UK coastline, as well as providing shipping information and a number of other essential services along the UK coastline.
Announcing the cuts, Shipping Minister Mike Penning MP said “Our seas are becoming busier, with larger ships and increasing numbers of offshore renewable energy platforms making key areas of our seas more congested. There are also increasing numbers of people using our beaches, coastlines and seas for leisure activities.
The proposals were overwhelmingly rejected by EVERY Coastguard station, campaigners and by the Transport Select Committee who conducted a full investigation and concluded that the modernisation proposals were “seriously flawed”.
On 14th July 2011, the then Secretary of State for Transport; Rt.Hon Philip Hammond MP announced that the Government had looked at the responses to the original consultation and had examined the evidence. He then announced new consultation proposals which indicated that eleven named Coastguard stations would to be retained on a 24/7 basis but that eight remaining named stations would close. Those stations are:
Brixham, Portland, Swansea, Liverpool, Thames, Yarmouth, Clyde and Forth.
This campaign group is open to anyone who understands and agrees with our belief that the issue should not be used as a political football. It is supported by concerned members of the public, Coastguard rescue officers (CRO’s), serving and former Coastguard officers, Politicians and also by some famous names too.
We are committed to continuing the effort to seek safer modernisation proposals and we will continue to campaign in a reasoned, dignified and balanced way in order to achieve our aim of securing the long term future of every Coastguard MRCC. Please continue to support the campaign.
Dangerous coastlines need local knowledge!
We lose that knowledge at our peril or certainly all sailors do.
CoastGuards Stations are very important and should be saved, not to mention more people lossing jobs
Vital service should not be compromised at all. These people are brave and do a great job savings lives
Sheer madness
I support the saving of the coastguard stations in the UK!
We need all the skills and expertise of the Coastguard especially as we are an island nation! Our government putting cost before lives should not be tolerated, lets not be silent about these proposed closures.
This service isn’t for 9 to 5 fishermen and people who live by the sea. These incredibly brave and already overstretched heros are there for all of us at anytime and save lives in conditions that we land lubbers couldn’t even imagine. If we take more stations away then our island is an even more perilous place to visit.
Keep all coastguard stations open