Highland Council backs calls over maritime safety deficit

The Highland Council Leader, Cllr Margaret Davidson welcomed the call for reinstatement of ETVs by Highland MPs.

She said: “The provision of Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) has been a vital issue for the Highland Council ever since the ETV in the Minch was withdrawn some years ago. Now we are looking at the grim prospect of withdrawal of the ETV based in Orkney next spring as well.

We have had numerous maritime incidents in recent times, demonstrating that we are exposed to serious risks around our coastal waters, without the presence of an ETV in the west.  This clearly underlines the need to put in place adequate safety measures, to respond to any future incidents which could have much more serious consequences than we have experienced so far.

“It is vital to be able to respond to incidents quickly in order to protect lives and minimize the risk of environmental damage and I fully support the pressure being brought to bear to highlight this important issue.”