Belfast Coastguard conducts Exercise Diamond

Ireland has conducted Exercise Diamond, a maritime exercise along with other nations and organisations within Belfast Lough, aimed to demonstrate search, rescue and recovery teams’ readiness to a major maritime incident.

The exercise involved HM Coastguard/Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Police Service of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, UK Ministry of Defence (Mod) including Royal Airforce, Stena Line, Survitec Group, Irish Coastguard, Northdown and Ards Borough Council, Belfast Harbour.

Additionally, Bangor RNLI inshore lifeboat, Donaghadee RNLI all weather lifeboat, Larne RNLI all weather lifeboat, Portpatrick RNLI all weather lifeboat, Belfast Harbour Pilot Boat, Irish Coastguard Sikorsky S92N rescue helicopter and Royal Navy Sea King rescue helicopter 177 also participated in the exercise.

The exercise provided an opportunity to deploy the coast guard’s procedures in consort with a range of emergency and regulatory organisations.

During the drill, Belfast Coastguard coordinated an air and sea search and rescue operation while the lifeboats searched for the people, simulated by numbered oranges and dummies who were in the water following the sinking of the Lough Explorer.

Stena Line PR and Communications head Diane Poole said, "Comprehensive exercises such as Exercise Diamond provide invaluable opportunities for us to put our major incident procedures and planning into operation to ensure that they are more than capable of coping with a major incident."

Exercise Diamond is the largest live maritime exercise held within the Titanic centenary, Olympic, & Diamond year involving Emergency Services, Agencies and Companies that are dedicated to saving lives and providing the best service.