Scottish Government Ministers view plans to axe coastguard stations as a “triple blow” to Scotland’s maritime safety.
They have responded critically to the UK Government’s consultation on “modernisation” plans for the service which could see both the Forth and Clyde stations close in the near future.
Under the current proposals the Forth facility at Fife Ness, which covers hundreds of miles from Montrose to the north of England and employs 14 staff, is expected to close some time between 2012 and 2015, with the area’s waters to be covered by Aberdeen and English stations.
The Clyde centre will also close and see its area covered by Belfast and Stornoway, while the Aberdeen Rescue Co-ordination Centre is also likely to be downgraded and see staffing cut.
However, the environment secretary Richard Lochhead and transport minister Keith Brown have written to UK transport minister Mike Penning, urging Westminster to reconsider.
Mr Lochhead said Scotland is being used as a “guinea pig” as Clyde and Forth will be the first stations to close in the UK and he called for a rethink.
He said: “Closing Clyde and Forth coastguard stations, downgrading Aberdeen and, despite a three-month reprieve, the possible removal of the two emergency tugs, would compromise safety and are moves heavily weighted towards saving money instead of saving lives.
“We recognise the need for modernising the coastguard. However, with Clyde and Forth being the first UK stations to close, once again Scotland is being used as the guinea pig for UK Government plans that clearly place cost savings ahead of marine safety.
“Clyde Coastguard oversees the busiest recreational area in Scottish waters, with intense and varied maritime use. It’s unacceptable that such a large area could be covered from Belfast.
“Furthermore, the scale and incoherent nature of the cuts proposed – which also include reviewing the Air Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Kinloss and scrapping the Nimrods – underline the risks that the marine environment and the people who use our seas are being exposed to.”‘Very worrying’Mr Lochhead said it was “very worrying” to hear that offshore energy incidents could be handled from the Southampton Marine Operations Centre (MOC), given that Aberdeen is “strategically placed” at the centre of oil and gas, and plans to make Dover shadow MOC rather than Aberdeen were “completely unjustifiable.”
The Government had proposed cutting the number of UK stations from 19 to eight, with the plan in Scotland to have one 24-hour centre in Aberdeen and a second base open during daylight in Shetland or Stornoway.
That sparked anger from Fife campaigners who launched a bid to save the Forth Coastguard.
Updated proposals suggested Aberdeen, Shetland and Stornoway would be kept but it was clear that Forth and Clyde would still be sacrificed.
UK ministers argue that scaling back the service is necessary to modernise it and make it more efficient but opponents insist safety will be compromised.
Scotland has around 60% of the coast in Great Britain but the move would leave it with just a third of the stations.