United Kingdom's emergency towing vessel fleet
Encyclopedia
The United Kingdom
maintained a fleet of emergency towing vessels
(ETV) from 1993 through 2011.
The vessels were privately owned and operated for Her Majesty's Coastguard
. Four vessels were stationed around the UK coastline, while a fifth was held in reserve.
's report 'Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas' published in May 1994 following the MV Braer oil spill of off the coast of Shetland, Scotland
. Kline Tugs Ltd of Lowestoft
took over the ETV contract in 1999, and in February 2001 signed an eight year contract to own and operate a four ETV vessel fleet, which in 2006 was extended by two years, to run until September 2011. Sovereign, entering service in 2003, and here near identical Princess, entering service in 2002, were both built for Kline's in China, being sailed to Britain to join Monarch and Prince. Monarch was built in 1999 in Japan.
Klyne Tugs was taken over in 2007 by the JP Knight Group, Britain’s oldest tug and barge company, becoming JP Knight (Lowestoft) Ltd. The tugs wear the red and white livery of the MCA, with the black and white funnel colours of JP Knight.
In 2010, the Government announced as part of the Department for Transport
's share of cuts in the Comprehensive Spending Review, that the ETV fleet would be no longer be funded by the MCA from September 2011, saving £32.5m over the Spending Review period. The Department stated that "state provision of ETVs does not represent a correct use of taxpayers money and that ship salvage should be a commercial matter between a ship's operator and the salvor".
Two days after the announcement that the fleet was to be disbanded, Anglian Prince was sent to the aid of the UK's newest nuclear submarine HMS Astute
, which ran aground off the Isle of Skye in Scotland during sea trials.
As part of the spending review, it was also announced that the status of the Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG), comprising specialist teams of firefighters formed in 2006 from fifteen UK Fire and Rescue Services
set up to respond to incidents at sea, would be reviewed, stating that "ships' crews are trained in basic firefighting techniques and there is little evidence that MIRG has changed the outcome of ship fires", and had not been involved in any significant incidents in its existence. A full cessation of the MIRG would save the Department £340,000 annually.
On 30 September 2011 it was announced that the two ETVs operating in the Minch
and the Shetland Islands
received a moratorium of three months with an interim funding by the United Kingdom's government.
and Anglian Monarch, were based in strategic locations around the UK, with two covering the south coast of England, at Falmouth
in Cornwall
and Dover
in Kent
, and two in Scottish waters, at Stornoway
the Western Isles (the Outer Hebrides), and Lerwick
in the Northern Isles
(Shetland and Orkney). The four strong ETV fleet is intended to be operational 24 hours a day 365 days a year and maintained at 30 minutes readiness to sail, with one tug is allocated to each of the four operating areas on a rotational basis, worked around maintenance schedules. The Dover station is funded jointly with French maritime authorities.
Monarch, Sovereign and Prince are purpose built offshore tugs, while Prince is a converted salvage tug
. A fifth tug, the Anglian Earl, is an anchorhandling and salvage tug regularly used on commercial work, but also fits the ETV criteria, and acts as cover for any of the four ETV stations as and when required.
The bollard pull
capability of the fleet is as follows:
ETV vessels can be temporarily relieved of station duties as required, such as when Prince was despatched on a four day voyage to come to the aid of the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi
, stranded in the Atlantic after a fire broke out during a delivery voyage from Scotland to Canada. In that instance, Prince was contracted commercially by the Royal Navy, with another ETV capable vessel quickly arranged to take her place in Stornoway.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
maintained a fleet of emergency towing vessels
Emergency tow vessel
An emergency tow vessel, also called emergency towing vessel, is a multi purpose boat used by state authorities to tow disabled vessels on high seas in order to prevent dangers to man and environment...
(ETV) from 1993 through 2011.
The vessels were privately owned and operated for Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
. Four vessels were stationed around the UK coastline, while a fifth was held in reserve.
History
The first vessels of the UK's ETV fleet were introduced in 1994 following the recommendations of Lord DonaldsonJohn Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of Lymington
John Francis Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of Lymington PC, QC was a senior British judge who served as Master of the Rolls for 10 years, from 1982 to 1992.- Early and private life :...
's report 'Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas' published in May 1994 following the MV Braer oil spill of off the coast of Shetland, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Kline Tugs Ltd of Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
took over the ETV contract in 1999, and in February 2001 signed an eight year contract to own and operate a four ETV vessel fleet, which in 2006 was extended by two years, to run until September 2011. Sovereign, entering service in 2003, and here near identical Princess, entering service in 2002, were both built for Kline's in China, being sailed to Britain to join Monarch and Prince. Monarch was built in 1999 in Japan.
Klyne Tugs was taken over in 2007 by the JP Knight Group, Britain’s oldest tug and barge company, becoming JP Knight (Lowestoft) Ltd. The tugs wear the red and white livery of the MCA, with the black and white funnel colours of JP Knight.
In 2010, the Government announced as part of the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
's share of cuts in the Comprehensive Spending Review, that the ETV fleet would be no longer be funded by the MCA from September 2011, saving £32.5m over the Spending Review period. The Department stated that "state provision of ETVs does not represent a correct use of taxpayers money and that ship salvage should be a commercial matter between a ship's operator and the salvor".
Two days after the announcement that the fleet was to be disbanded, Anglian Prince was sent to the aid of the UK's newest nuclear submarine HMS Astute
HMS Astute (S119)
HMS Astute is a nuclear-powered submarine in the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class. Builders BAE Systems describe her as "the largest and most able attack submarine that the Royal Navy has operated, with a performance to rival any in the world"....
, which ran aground off the Isle of Skye in Scotland during sea trials.
As part of the spending review, it was also announced that the status of the Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG), comprising specialist teams of firefighters formed in 2006 from fifteen UK Fire and Rescue Services
Fire service in the United Kingdom
The fire services in the United Kingdom operate under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
set up to respond to incidents at sea, would be reviewed, stating that "ships' crews are trained in basic firefighting techniques and there is little evidence that MIRG has changed the outcome of ship fires", and had not been involved in any significant incidents in its existence. A full cessation of the MIRG would save the Department £340,000 annually.
On 30 September 2011 it was announced that the two ETVs operating in the Minch
The Minch
The Minch , also called The North Minch, is a strait in north-west Scotland, separating the north-west Highlands, and the northern Inner Hebrides, from Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides...
and the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
received a moratorium of three months with an interim funding by the United Kingdom's government.
Fleet
As of 2010, four ETVs, Anglian Prince, Anglian Princess, Anglian SovereignAnglian Sovereign
The Anglian Sovereign is a large sea-going tugboat based in Lerwick on the Shetland Islands of the United Kingdom.The vessel is powered by z-drives and was christened on 27 August 2003. Anglian Sovereign is owned by JP Knight which purchased the initial owner Klyne Tugs of Lowestoft in 2007...
and Anglian Monarch, were based in strategic locations around the UK, with two covering the south coast of England, at Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and two in Scottish waters, at Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
the Western Isles (the Outer Hebrides), and Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
in the Northern Isles
Northern Isles
The Northern Isles is a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney...
(Shetland and Orkney). The four strong ETV fleet is intended to be operational 24 hours a day 365 days a year and maintained at 30 minutes readiness to sail, with one tug is allocated to each of the four operating areas on a rotational basis, worked around maintenance schedules. The Dover station is funded jointly with French maritime authorities.
Monarch, Sovereign and Prince are purpose built offshore tugs, while Prince is a converted salvage tug
Salvage tug
A salvage tug is a specialized type of tugboat which is used to rescue or marine salvage ships which are in distress or in danger of sinking, or which have already sunk or run aground....
. A fifth tug, the Anglian Earl, is an anchorhandling and salvage tug regularly used on commercial work, but also fits the ETV criteria, and acts as cover for any of the four ETV stations as and when required.
The bollard pull
Bollard pull
Bollard pull is a value that allows the comparison of the pulling force of watercraft, particularly tugboats. A mooring bollard may be used as a point of attachment for measuring the force, or pull of the craft.-Background:...
capability of the fleet is as follows:
- Anglian Monarch: 152 tonnes
- Anglian Prince: 170 t
- Anglian Princess: over 180 t
- Anglian SovereignAnglian SovereignThe Anglian Sovereign is a large sea-going tugboat based in Lerwick on the Shetland Islands of the United Kingdom.The vessel is powered by z-drives and was christened on 27 August 2003. Anglian Sovereign is owned by JP Knight which purchased the initial owner Klyne Tugs of Lowestoft in 2007...
: over 180 t
ETV vessels can be temporarily relieved of station duties as required, such as when Prince was despatched on a four day voyage to come to the aid of the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi
HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879)
HMCS Chicoutimi is a Victoria-class long-range hunter-killer submarine of the Royal Canadian Navy, originally built and operated by the Royal Navy as HMS Upholder....
, stranded in the Atlantic after a fire broke out during a delivery voyage from Scotland to Canada. In that instance, Prince was contracted commercially by the Royal Navy, with another ETV capable vessel quickly arranged to take her place in Stornoway.