Waterford SAR ‘left in the dark’ fearing 8am-8pm limit
The Maritime Search and Rescue Training demonstration in Dunmore East. Photo: Joe Evans
There is significant concern that Ireland’s Coast Guard bases, including Waterford’s Rescue 117, could be temporarily limited in operation to just 8am to 8pm following the transfer of the service to a new provider.
Coast Guard units across the country are raising the alarm over delays, uncertainty and reduced operating hours during the transition of the service to a new private contractor which operates the country’s maritime rescue operations.
The state made the decision in 2023 to change the provider of the Irish Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter service from CHC to Bristow Helicopters, following a lengthy tender process run by the Department of Transport.
The Coast Guard had been flying Sikorsky S-92 helicopters (pictured) on a contract basis with CHC Ireland for nearly 20 years, but the company came under significant criticism following the death of the crew of Rescue 116, in Mayo in 2017.
Following the award of the 10-year, €670 million contract to Bristow Helicopters, the Irish Coast Guard is set to transition the service to new AgustaWestland AW189 helicopters.
There was a significant delay to the handover of the Shannon Airport crew to Bristow Helicopters, with CHC providing cover with the existing Sikorsky helicopter for more than a month due to delays, with training and securing approvals from the IAA, until the eventual service delivery in December.
It has now been revealed that the Shannon Airport-based Rescue 115 Coast Guard unit is now only providing an 8am to 8pm daytime service while the crew complete their full training on the new aircraft type, during which time they are not permitted to carry out nighttime emergency responses.
The Crew of Rescue 118 at Sligo Airport raised their concerns that they are the only Coast Guard service on the west coast providing 24-hour service and is facing the same fate of “delays and uncertainty” as the Shannon Airport crew.
“The crew of Rescue 118, based in Sligo Airport, are seeking information on when they will transfer from CHC Ireland to Bristow Ireland,” the Rescue 118 crew said on social media, “The crew of Shannon-based Rescue 115 transferred over in December after a number of delays and now only provide a 08:00 - 20:00 day only service.”
“Sligo is now facing those same delays and uncertainty as to when and what service will be provided by Bristow Ireland.”
The Department of Transport has said that the Shannon Airport service will resume 24/7 operations by the end of February, but the Sligo crew are concerned that their service will see the same time limitations.
The handover of the Sligo service has been postponed by nearly two months, originally planned to transition on Valentine’s Day, February 14, the crew will now take the timeframe planned for Waterford’s crew, the end of April.
This has left the crew of the Waterford Airport-based Rescue 117 with the same uncertainty as to their fate, sources have revealed to Waterford News & Star.
The crew at Waterford Airport feel they have been “left in the dark” and while have been told that their transition to the new provider Bristow Helicopters has been postponed, they have been given no certainty as to when that will be.
The crew have also been left with uncertainty as to whom they will be employed by in the coming weeks, during the transition period to the new provider, noting concern around their company health insurance and other employment factors.
A Coast Guard crew member said it “seems likely”, based on the precedent set in Shannon and in Sligo, that the crews in the bases in Waterford and Dublin will be limited in operational hours while they are trained on the new helicopter.
The final date under the contract for all four search and rescue bases to transition to the new provider and helicopter is June 30.
In a statement to RTÉ, the former head of the Irish Coast Guard, Chris Reynolds, said he believed the timeline to train SAR staff on the new helicopter and operating system was too short.
"They haven't given themselves enough time and if you don't give yourself enough time you have to rush transition, and rushing transition leads to accidents,” Mr Reynolds said of Bristow Helicopters, to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
The Department of Transport said in a statement that they “will not allow risks to be taken in a rush to meet contractual deadlines” and that the “safety of crew, citizens and mariners is the overarching priority. If the department recognises the need to revise transition dates to ensure overall safety, this will be done without hesitation and expects full cooperation of both contractors to facilitate revised transition timelines."
Family members of the crew took to social media following the plea for information by the Sligo-based Rescue 118 describing the uncertainty around the transition as “infuriating”.
Echoing a similar message, one family member said that Coast Guard “crews need answers immediately” saying that the uncertainty during the transition has put “unimaginable” stress on the crews' families".
The crew’s families have called for the transition timeline to be “mapped out step-by-step” and said the situation left them questioning whether a plan for the position was ever submitted to the state in the tendering process with the Department of Transport.
“This is a 24-hour lifesaving operation across the whole of Ireland. There is absolutely no room for error when contracts change providers,” said one family member.
Sinn Féin TD for Waterford, Conor McGuinness said: “The Government has very serious questions to answer about the potential downgrading of the Waterford-based service in light of the recent change in operator.“
Teachta McGuinness noted concerns that Rescue 117 "may be off-service for an extended time during the transfer from old contractor to new, and that the service may not be operational 24/7 on its return" as well as potential impacts on the long-term future of the service.
Deputy McGuinness said he has asked the Minister to clarify the plans for the service and to commit to keeping the service based in Waterford.
Prior to this story being first published in print in Waterford News & Star, the Department of Transport was contacted for comment and given the opportunity to clarify the new transition date for the vital Waterford Coast Guard Search and Rescue crew.
