Belfast Coastguard problems?

[penfold]

There seems to have been a problem responding to a reported incident on the Clyde; linky here.

Odd, the BBcode for hyperlinking has gone squiffy.

 

[daveyw]

The report says
"Belfast coastguard is apparently over staffed, has been experiencing difficulty in achieving even minimum manning of shifts; and particularly, has been struggling to man the phones."

Is this true? I know NI has the highest rate of civil servants in the UK......................!

 

[NormanS]

The report says
"Belfast coastguard is apparently over staffed, has been experiencing difficulty in achieving even minimum manning of shifts; and particularly, has been struggling to man the phones."

Is this true? I know NI has the highest rate of civil servants in the UK......................!

Presumably that should read "understaffed". Otherwise it doesn't make sense.

 

[RichardS]

Presumably that should read "understaffed". Otherwise it doesn't make sense.

Unless they are so over-staffed that everyone is crashing into everyone else and passing on every infectious and contagious disease known to man. If 50% of the staff are off work as a result of collision accidents (slips, trips and falls) in the workplace or have been given a "fitness certificate" by their GP (that bit is true but is, in fact, the biggest joke here!) and are on sickness leave, then I can understand the problem!

Richard

 

[awol]

Presumably that should read "understaffed". Otherwise it doesn't make sense.

The whole article doesn't make sense. A couple of doddies (wait a minute, I too am a pensioner) get into a stushie with a wee boat close to or touching the shingle beach at Whiteforeland Point. Sometime later the boat is towed off by another boat. No suggestion of danger to boat or life. Chilly clear night with ~16kts easterly.

Looks like an attempt to make a political point - by a labour MP, surely not! - out of a non-event. Now if there had been flares, burning tar barrels, mayday calls, arms waving up and down, squares over balls, NC flags, inverted Union Flag (have I missed anything?) then I'm sure the Noirish coasties would have been on the case.

 

[Rowana]

Anything reported by Forargyll.com should be taken with rather more than a pinch of salt.

Several hundred tons would be more appropriate !

 

[Deleted member 36384]

The whole article doesn't make sense. .....

The point is that the lifeboat is called out every time someones goes paddling these days, yet Belfast having received a worried call from a couple of people couldn't organise themselves on a cold, wintery night. I would have thought or expected that they just call out a lifeboat or send along the local coastguard team to check it out, but they didn't.

 

[Sgeir]

I would have thought or expected that they just call out a lifeboat or send along the local coastguard team to check it out, but they didn't.

It was not unknown for Clyde (pre-Belfast) to use Ch16 to ask whether other vessels can provide assistance, without having to launch a lifeboat. I suspect that is what happened here, but it would be reassuring to find out what actually happened.

I like the ForArgyll news, but their enthusiasm to defend Clyde CG, as was, has previously caused them to make some journalistic errors and some quite false claims (eg that the Clyde aerials were being shut down). Whether deliberate or otherwise, they give every impression that they are trying to rubbish the Belfast CG. Anyway, it's now a public issue and we should expect to be told what actually happened.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Presumably that should read "understaffed". Otherwise it doesn't make sense.

Not necessarily. Depends on industrial relations for one and the amount of unnecessary work done for another. Its just as unlikely that you get manning problems through being overstaffed as understaffed. Managing people just isnt that simple.

 

[prv]

The point is that the lifeboat is called out every time someones goes paddling these days, yet Belfast having received a worried call from a couple of people couldn't organise themselves on a cold, wintery night.

No evidence whatsoever that they "couldn't organise themselves". This whole story is made up out of the non-expert observations of a couple of people on the shore, who didn't have a VHF so had no idea what was actually happening, didn't see much going on, so assumed the incident was being ignored. Sounds like the CG put out a call for assistance (no indication the boat was in any trouble apart from being aground) and another boat came and towed them off. Because the walkers on shore didn't see a slew of blue flashing lights, helicopters with searchlights, and men shouting through loudhailers, they were disappointed at the lack of drama in "their" emergency.

Pete

 

[Deleted member 36384]

No evidence whatsoever that they "couldn't organise themselves". .....

Yes there is until further facts are established. I would assume that the telephone caller would have been told of actions being undertaken in the 45 minutes they were on the phone, or that the MP would have established the facts when querying this event.

The issue around this, clarity in communication, is relevant due to the size of the area being covered and a very, very long coastline. There has been instances of poor communication between CGs on the Scottish West Coast because of poor handover procedures (or the implementation of) which increased the hazards to mariners in distress. So I see this very much as one of disorganisation again.

I expect a person who reports an incident to be reassured that appropriate action has been taken in a simple way - whatever that may be, including no action, if that is deemed appropriate. When I read the report the person who phoned the CG doesn't appear to have been informed of the actions. If they had I assumed that they would have mentioned this e.g. if the CG had said that another vessel is proceeding to assist.

Maybe it's a scam to discredit Belfast and they were all in it together: the couple, the neighbour, the vessel aground, the towing vessel, heck even the Police boat; stranger things have happened!

 

[awol]

As I read it the ForArgyll article is based on hearsay reporting by the local Labour MP. My views on the probity of MPs leads me to put little value to the report. Outraged comment by an active anti-Coastguard closure activist is to be expected. Even the term "fishing boat" is dubious - two men in a wee dory with a cuddy probably, certainly not a trawler.

Let's wait until Belfast really cocks up before we condemn them.

 

[prv]

I would assume [...] that the MP would have established the facts when querying this event.

I wouldn't.

Pete

 

[prv]

No evidence whatsoever [...]

Yes there is until further facts are established.

"There is evidence because we don't have facts"? What a bizarre statement.

Irrelevant now, anyway, because the facts have been established:

http://forargyll.com/2013/03/no-coastguard-confusion-over-greenock-fishing-boat-grounding/

No Coastguard confusion over Greenock fishing boat grounding

Posted on March 25, 2013 by newsroom

We have had detailed clarification of the incident – on the evening of Thursday 21st March – where a fishing boat ran aground on rocks near the of the old Navy Buildings at Greenock – from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s [MCA] Head of Communications, Fred Caygill.

The reality is very different from the reports we had received and carries many additional points of interest.

The 999 call from the member of the public – the local lady concerned who had informed Iain Mackenzie MP of the incident – came in at 19.24. The lady reported that ‘a fishing boat had hit her patio’.

The Coastguard station attempted to reach the fishing boat concerned on VHF radio – with no response, so they kept the lady caller on the line as their immediate link to the incident while they tasked the relevant rescue services. This is normal practice.

Within 5 minutes of that 999 call being received – and while the lady was still on the line, Belfast Coastguard had tasked the Greenock Coastguard Rescue team.

Within 10 minutes they had tasked the Helensburgh Inshore Lifeboat to the scene.

Both were informed that there were two crew onboard the grounded boat.

Within 15 minutes the lady caller reported that a second fishing boat was coming in towards the grounded one.

Within 20 minutes the coastguard were informed that the second fishing boat had got a line aboard the casualty.

At 19.45, the grounded boat was pulled clear by its partner fishing boat.

Helensburgh Inshore Lifeboat – a RIB [Rigid Inflatable Boat] – got to the scene at this stage. It may be that a RIB – which is visually low profile - was not recognised as a lifeboat by the lady in question.

The lifeboat was instructed to escort the tow to the James Watt Dock at Greenock; and the Coastguard Rescue team were re-routed to that location to meet the fishing boats and check their situation.

Throughout the incident and for whatever reason, neither fishing boat responded to Coastguard communications to them on VHF Channel 16, the emergency channel.

There is a serious safety issue here with onboard VHF absent, unserviceable, turned off or ignored.

(My emphasis)

We can comment on the advisability of small fishing boats carrying VHF, but I fail to see any fault on the part of the Coastguard here.

Pete

 

[awol]

"There is evidence because we don't have facts"? What a bizarre statement.
........................................
We can comment on the advisability of small fishing boats carrying VHF, but I fail to see any fault on the part of the Coastguard here.

Pete

When has evidence and fault been necessary to set the usual suspects off into an anti-coastguard tizz? I am still inclined to wonder at the local MP's input to the original report.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

"There is evidence because we don't have facts"? What a bizarre statement ......... but I fail to see any fault on the part of the Coastguard here.....

I would agree with that!

 

[Deleted member 36384]

When has evidence and fault been necessary to set the usual suspects off into an anti-coastguard tizz? I am still inclined to wonder at the local MP's input to the original report.

It's not anti coastguard, it's a concern that matters are in control as best as possible by the coastguard. The article that Sgeir refers to about the shut down of the ariels was robustly challenged by myself (I think I used my BOB avatar). One would have thought that after that article ForArgyle would at least attempt top get some material facts into CG stories.

 

[webcraft]

One would have thought that after that article ForArgyle would at least attempt top get some material facts into CG stories.

ForArgyll is not the slightest bit interested in 'Facts' and any pretences it might once have had to journalism have long since been abandoned.

As others have pointed out, this is not the first time they have printed utter nonsense regarding Coastguard activities. My favourite was the one where 'Newsroom' claimed that Belfast Coastguard had been 'closed for the weekend' - and stuck to that assertion even when people who obviously knew a lot more than her about matters nautical told her this was laughable.

- W

 

[chanelyacht]

Not necessarily. Depends on industrial relations for one and the amount of unnecessary work done for another. Its just as unlikely that you get manning problems through being overstaffed as understaffed. Managing people just isnt that simple.

The article is highly confused - in saying "overmanned", they may well be looking at Belfast's risk assessment staffing levels - and yes, they would show overmanning looking at the levels for Belfast's previous area .

But of course Belfast's area has changed, and it's risk assessment level would change with that.

(No inside info on the situation at Belfast, just looking at it logically).

forargyll.com has an agenda, and sadly the truth isn't on it.

 

[Bilgediver]

We can comment on the advisability of small fishing boats carrying VHF, but I fail to see any fault on the part of the Coastguard here.

Pete

They most certainly have VHF however their radios were probably on CH 10 or someother fishing channel where the self help was being discussed and may have
been unaware of the coastguard activity on CH16 . After all they did not appear to issue a Mayday!