A familiar ETV returns to Scotland

The contract was awarded to the Swedish contractor Rederi AB Nestor, owner of the Maltese flagged salvage tug Herakles, formerly the Anglian Prince that was employed for many years as an ETV based in Scotland.

The continued provision of just one ETV for Scotland follows a statement made on 12 June by the Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore, confirming that the UK Government will continue to fund an Emergency Towing Vessel for the rest of the Spending Review up to 2015. That statement included, “A Written Ministerial Statement was laid in Parliament this morning. The news brings a search for a solution to the issue to a successful conclusion and means there will be a vessel on hand to provide cover and assistance to shipping around the coast of Scotland as required. Month- by month funding arrangements had been in place to allow the Emergency Towing Vessel Scotland Group to look at potential solutions, including commercial call-out options, and that cover will continue until the long term arrangement is put in place. The procurement process will be launched today.

“A change to the previous arrangements will be the vessel being tasked by HM Coastguard to undertake specific escort duties should they consider it necessary, rather than the passive escort of shipping. The government considers this to be the best model available to ensure the best coverage of the waters around Scotland while combining operational considerations and value for money for the UK taxpayer.”

Under the new contract Herakles will provide cover for the Western Isles, Shetland and Scotland’s north west coast from a base on Orkney. As yet there is no indication as to how this one year provision will be extended during the period between 2013 and 2015.

As Anglian Prince, the vessel was highly regarded among the fishing and maritime community in Scotland as part of the ETV fleet operated by Klyne Tugs (Lowestoft) Ltd and more recently J P Knight (Lowestoft) Ltd. The tug entered service as an ETV in Scotland in September 1998, based mainly in Stornoway until being withdrawn by J P Knight at the end of 2010 and eventually sold as Herakles in May 2011. During that long period of service as an ETV, Anglian Prince successfully responded many times to vessels in trouble in horrific conditions in the Atlantic and among the Islands off the west coast of Scotland, earning its master and crew a number of awards for their bravery and seamanship. Built as a salvage tug in 1980, Herakles has a bollard pull of 170 tonnes and maximum speed of 17.5 knots.