Scotland Office confirms MCA award of interim tugs contract
Secretary of State says he is confident ETV group can work towards a long term solution in first meeting on Monday
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has today awarded the interim three month contract for tugs in Scotland in order to allow the Scotland Office further time to secure a long term solution for Scotland. The MCA has let the contract because of its technical, operational and procurement expertise in this area.
The interim contract has been awarded to JP Knight. Their vessels Anglian Monarch will operate in the Western Isles and Anglian Sovereign will operate in Northern Isles. Their role will be to assist a vessel in difficulty and will be tasked by H.M. Coastguard when necessary.
The Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore said:
“This welcome news is the result of a great deal of hard work by UK ministers, the Scotland Office and MCA and the new interim contract has been put in place as quickly as possible. This will provide both continuity and cover for the next three months.
“Ministers are working hard to try and broker a deal for 2012 and beyond and I will chair a meeting of the ETV group in Edinburgh on Monday to take this work forward urgently.
“I am confident we can work towards a long term solution for the ETVs and we will be working with a wide range of stakeholders, including the oil and gas industry, towards that goal.”