Irish Coast Guard saved 563 lives last year, new figures show
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The Irish Coast Guard saved more than 560 lives last year through its operations, the highest level in at least seven years, new figures show.
The Department of Transport’s annual report said the Irish Coast Guard, which marked its 200th anniversary last year, responded to 2,704 incidents in 2022.
As well as the 563 lives saved, defined in the report as those where “assistance provided that prevented loss of life, severe risk to life, or protracted hospitalisation”, a further 3,133 people were described as assisted by the coast guard where their lives were not in immediate danger but were assisted to “alleviate the predicament in which they found themselves”.
Furthermore, Irish Coast Guard helicopters were tasked 841 times in 2022, with a further 1,156 coastal units tasked.
The figures come after the minister for transport earlier this year awarded a new €800m air-sea rescue contract to Bristow Ireland, a subsidiary of the US-based Bristow Group.
It was chosen as the preferred bidder ahead of incumbent CHC Ireland, which challenged the decision in the High Court but failed in its bid.
Bristow is expected to begin transitioning to its new contract in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Calls have been made to ensure workers remain on the same terms and conditions they had before and, while the Government has said Bristow “supports the principles” of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) Regulations, unions are still engaging in this regard.
Breaking down the figures provided by the Department of Transport further, it shows of the incidents involving vessels at sea, a majority involved pleasure craft at 294. A further 70 merchant crafts were involved in incidents, while 96 were reported involving fishing crafts.
The RNLI was tasked on 915 occasions for assistance last year, meanwhile, while community rescue boats were tasked 96 times.
Furthermore, 432 false alarms were reported in 2022.
Elsewhere in the Department of Transport report, it said public transport numbers gradually recovered during 2022 and even began to eclipse pre-pandemic levels.
“The combination of the fare initiatives in addition to the gradual reopening of the economy resulted in a significant increase in public transport passenger numbers,” it said.
Regarding the landmark BusConnects programme in Cork, the report had little to say beyond the first round of public consultation for the 12 new sustainable transport corridors ran from October 2022 and another was planned for 2023. This closed in May.
The first received more than 3,000 submissions.