The contract for the emergency vessels, based in the Minch and Shetland, was due to end at midnight.

BBC: Three-month extension' for Scotland's coastguard tugs

The submarine landscape of the Ullapool Approaches preserves excellent examples of glacially-scoured valleys and other erosional bedforms, formed by glaciers flowing towards The Minch.

BBC: Exploration around Ullapool confirms important species

But the company has decided to no longer pursue the scheme due to a lack of funding and uncertainty surrounding a subsea cable across the Minch.

BBC: Wave power proposal for Shader in Lewis shelved