The need for the Emergency Towage Vessels (ETV) around the UK coastline was clearly highlighted again following the rescue of the stricken cargo ship Red Duchess .
The thirteen hundred tonne ship, which was rescued off the Isle of Rhum on Tuesday, was towed to Stornoway by the coastguard Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) Anglian Prince after a twenty hour tow in adverse weather conditions. The Red Duchess was helplessly drifting within half a mile of the shoreline after she lost all power to the engines off Rhum on Tuesday in a Force Seven gale. Mallaig lifeboat secured a line onboard and but could only manage to hold her off the rocks until the Stornoway based ETV arrived to tow the vessel out of danger. The Anglian Prince, which is due to be withdrawn from service thanks to Westminster Government cuts, is specifically designed for rescue operations such as this and has again proved her worth by preventing pollution in the pristine West Coast of Scotland.
KIMO UK Chair Cllr Norman MacDonald stated “It is folly for government to try and save money in a manner that puts the environment and lives at risk. Since the cuts were announced the Anglian Prince has twice helped vessels in distress. The first time she aided the HMS Astute, the billion pound submarine, which had run aground off Skye and then this vessel the Red Duchess. The Emergency Towing Vessels must be kept in service.”
