Network flexing risk mitigation

HMCG recognises that whilst its national network does provide critical business resilience, small boat operations pose particular challenges due to the nature of multiple interconnected incidents. Since 2021, an extra 24 people (20 Watchkeepers and 4 Team Leaders) have been recruited to the Dover Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), which is responsible for the initiation and coordination of maritime search and rescue (SAR) for the Clacton to Dungeness region. All were in post by May 2022. Additional Watchkeepers are dedicated to small boat crossing SAR on days when crossings take place, increasing resilience and mitigating the risk of overload identified in the Cranston Inquiry Report. Furthermore, two team leaders are now allocated to every watch, one dedicated to small boat activity and another for other non-small boat SAR. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in the use of network flexing arrangements to respond to small boat incidents. Since January 2024, there has been no occasion where incident management of small boat crossings have been split between different geographical MRCC centres. SAR Mission Coordinators (SMC) are the qualified person in charge of a SAR incident. They assess information, develop plans for response and coordinate facilities to carry out the SAR mission. SMCs outside of Dover MRCC may still be nominated to lead coordination of a small boat incident when SMC staff are not available in Dover (for example, due to sickness or leave) to ensure appropriately qualified oversight. In these cases, arrangements to support this model have been strengthened. The SMC is now solely dedicated to small boat operations for the watch and is able to utilise a ‘talk box’ function (a direct and dedicated line to Dover), video conferencing and is signed in as a Dover Officer to gain access to all transmissions, calls and aircraft video downlink feeds. This maintains the SMC’s situational awareness, improves communication with those at the MRCC and ensures everyone has access to the same information. Additional staffing changes since 2021 include the creation and recruitment of a new role of Assistant Chief Coastguard. This role reports directly to the Chief Coastguard and provides strategic oversight of coastguard operations involving small boats, maritime security, and collaborations with other interested agencies. This role was filled in January 2022 and remains in place today. The role is supported by a Divisional Commander who is based at Dover, providing additional oversight and reporting to the Assistant Chief Coastguard. Since August 2021, there has also been a Staff Officer for small boat SAR based at MRCC Dover who provides tactical leadership and operational oversight of small boat operations to HMCG stakeholders. This includes liaising with Border Security Command and the French Coastguard, acting as a subject matter expert for small boat crossing operations. The role also provides strategic benefits by having dedicated subject matter expertise to better understand the trends, challenges and changes in small boat crossings. National oversight of all MRCCs continues to be done by the National Network Commander team at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Fareham. The Network commanders provide tactical leadership and operational oversight, looking across the whole of the UK’s national network. This includes providing guidance during major incidents and ensuring that resources are optimally deployed alongside dynamically allocating staffing and maintaining operational resilience. HMCG, and the MCA, will continue to keep staffing and flexing arrangements under review to ensure they remain sufficient.