THE future of the Portland coastguard helicopter has been secured after plans to overhaul the UK’s search and rescue service were finalised.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has selected private consortium Soteria to take over the £6billion helicopter contract from 2012.

The move will see Portland’s existing service continue – but with its August Westland 139 aircraft being replaced with Soteria’s preferred option of the Sikorsky S92A.

Some fears were raised for the island aircraft’s future after the plans to privatise search and rescue helicopter operations emerged.

But the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) says it will be ‘business as usual’ in Portland – despite the change in aircraft.

MCA spokesman Fred Caygill said: “Soteria stated as part of their bidding process for the contract that their helicopter of choice would be the S92.

“S92s are already being used at our Scottish MCA bases so it’s just a case of putting the new aircraft into our southern bases at Portland and Lee-on-Solent.

“Obviously it’s a bigger aircraft and the pilots and other guys will have to go off for some more training.

“But apart from that, nothing changes. It’s still our estate, it’s our building and our land, so it’s business as usual.”

The MCA currently provides the UK’s search and rescue helicopter service, along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.

Now Soteria – made up of CHC Helicopter Corporation, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Thales UK – has been handed the 25-year contract to replace the service.

S92 helicopters are already being used at the MCA bases at Shetland and Stornoway in Scotland.

They will be introduced at the MCA’s sites at Portland and Lee-on-Solent before replacing ageing Sea King helicopters at British RAF and Royal Navy bases.

The S92 can carry 10 passengers seated and one stretcher, or two seated and two stretchers.

Portland coastguard sector manager Rob Sansom said the new choice of chopper would be ‘very different’ to work with but a ‘better aircraft’ overall.

He said: “It’s much bigger, for a start, and I think it’s also a bit slower. It’s like comparing chalk and cheese really, as they both operate in very different ways, but overall I think it will be a better aircraft.”

Mr Sansom said the S92 could come into its own when Portland coastguards are called upon to carry out hospital transfers.

He said: “In the past, there’s been a limit on the amount of medical personnel and equipment we can carry when taking a critical casualty.

“With the S92, which is much bigger, those jobs will be a lot easier.”