Transocean handed £400K Coastguard bill

The Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) confirmed the amount had been invoiced to Transocean for payment.

“The costs for responding to the Transocean Winner incident are in the region of £400,000,” revealed the MCA.  

“It is our intention to recover these costs from Transocean.”

The £400,000 bill was generated by the Coastguard who maintained a 24-rota on site while the rig was beached at Dalmore last August, as well as the costs incurred by having to draft in additional personnel and hotel and subsistence costs for staff.

The coastguard also supplied surveillance flights and the helicopter flights to move people onto the grounded rig. In addition there is the cost of independent salvage advice to the Secretary of State’s Representative Maritime &andSalvage.

Speaking last year Transocean operations director Dave Walls publicly insisted the oil giants would pick up the tab for ‘all costs incurred’ by the grounding of the 17,000 drilling rig which ran aground in a storm while being towed from Norway to Malta.

Transocean’s accounts revealed the company spent some £17 million on the salvage of the rig which is now being dismantled and broken down in Turkey.

Before departing Lewis, Transocean handed the Comhairle a £120,000 donation as a thankyou to the local community.

The money will be split between the local communities of Dalmore and Carloway and an island-wide fund to assist Western Isles young people to take part in sporting events on the mainland.

Dave Walls, Transocean’s Operations Director for North West Europe, said: “I hope the donations go some way to recognise and acknowledge the warmth and welcome extended to Transocean and our business partners.”