Coast Guard lands itself a fleet upgrade

The Irish Coast Guard now has one of the most modern and effective helicopter fleets in the world, according to Transport Minister Leo Varadkar.

A state-of-the-art Sikorsky S92 search and rescue helicopter for the Dublin region was formally launched by Mr Varadkar at its base at Weston Airport, Lucan, yesterday.

Mr Varadkar said the four Coast Guard bases in Dublin, Shannon, Sligo, and Waterford had all now been upgraded with the S92 models.

They have an extended range of 270 nautical miles, are faster, safer, and carry more passengers, as well as being able to fly at a higher altitude and in worse weather conditions.

Last year was one of the busiest on record for the Coast Guard with teams responding to 2,627 incidents involving fishing vessels, leisure craft, and mountaineers.

They performed 253 aero-medical missions and 159 offshore island medical evacuations.

Mr Varadkar said a budget of €67.9m was provided for the Coast Guard in 2014 — its highest allocation ever.

Coast Guard director Chris Reynolds said a 33% increase in call-outs last year was partly due to people taking advantage of the good weather.

There was concern expressed about the growing number of incidents involving jet-skis with 26 cases recorded in 2013. Mr Reynolds said the incidents were concentrated in leisure areas like beaches where the use of jet-skis posed a danger of serious injury to families and small children.

New legislation will require the owners of jet-skis to register and mark their equipment, and will make it easier to prosecute offenders and enforce safety standards.