Today it was announced that a replacement for the coastguard emergency towing (ETV) vessel Anglian Sovereign may have been found for the Northern isles station.
The Grampian Frontier currently on a long term charter to BP covering the oilfields west of Shetland will if all goes to plan and everthing can be agreed with all parties take up duties when called upon by the coastguard to assist vessels in trouble. The standby safety vessel.has the required bollard pull to help with any emergency that arises in and around the waters of the Northern Isles.
A similar tug that covered the Western isles however will not be replaced which has prompted much anger at the UK coalition government which says the private sector much take up ETV provision in future. The measures are further cost cuts which the UK government say are required.
The ETV vessels were a recommendation by Lord Donaldson's inquiry into the grounding and loss of the tanker Braer in January 1993.
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