Responding to reports that the government’s Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) Herakles was deployed to assist a tug experiencing trouble off the coast of Scotland, Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said, ‘The incident highlights the vital work that the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) do in protecting life at sea. If the ETV had not been available then lives would have been at risk and the chances of environmental damage would have been greatly increased.
‘The government only agreed to retain the use of Herakles in Orkney last month and this highlights how important that decision was. I hope the government looks closely at this incident and reconsiders the risk for other coastal areas of the UK not served by government-funded ETVs.’