A voluntary organisation keeping a visual watch along UK shores

Hours Crewed

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National Coastwatch (NCI) is a Declared Facility, also referred to as an Asset, of HMCG. Declared Facility Status (DFS) is the standard to be reached by all NCI Stations, once they have been operational for at least two years, and against which they will be re-assessed annually thereafter. The standards for the DFS process are set out in a Memorandum of Understanding (Section 15) between His Majesty’s Coastguard (HMCG) and NCI.

During 2020 all NCI stations closed for two months at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. On re-opening most stations were single-crewed for the rest of the year.

2023

No. of Stations
60
No. of DFS
51
Percentage DFS
85
Total watchkeeper hours
284,931

2022

No. of Stations
58
No. of DFS
52
Percentage DFS
90
Total watchkeeper hours
274,543

2021

No. of Stations
56
No. of DFS
50
Percentage DFS
89
Total watchkeeper hours
215,281

2020

No. of Stations
56
No. of DFS
49
Percentage DFS
88
Total watchkeeper hours
146,408

2019

No. of Stations
56
No. of DFS
48
Percentage DFS
86
Total watchkeeper hours
280,514

2018

No. of Stations
53
No. of DFS
46
Percentage DFS
87
Total watchkeeper hours
265,139

2017

No. of Stations
50
No. of DFS
46
Percentage DFS
92
Total watchkeeper hours
262,408

2016

No. of Stations
51
No. of DFS
45
Percentage DFS
88
Total watchkeeper hours
246,430

2015

No. of Stations
49
No. of DFS
45
Percentage DFS
94
Total watchkeeper hours
240,283

2014

No. of Stations
49
No. of DFS
45
Percentage DFS
92
Total watchkeeper hours
213,774
DFS means that a station has Declared Facility Status as agreed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.