CHANNEL Island waters will be patrolled by new “state-of-the-art” lifeboats within the next three years as part of the RNLI’s plans to respond to the “changing nature” of lifesaving.
The lifesaving charity yesterday announced updates to its all-weather lifeboat fleet across Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney.
St Helier’s current Tamar Class lifeboat George Sullivan will change to a Shannon class all-weather lifeboat in 2028.
Guernsey and Alderney will see their lifeboats updated one year sooner, in 2027.
The Shannon lifeboat has been designed entirely in house by a team of RNLI engineers and built at the lifeboat centre in Poole. It includes the very latest in lifesaving technology, including enhanced navigation tools.
The new lifeboat is propelled by water jets, rather than traditional propellers, making it manoeuvrable and agile with an ability to operate in both deep and shallow water.
RNLI head of region for the south west, Adrian Carey, said: “Having the same class of all-weather lifeboat across the three islands means there is a standardisation of technology and equipment, improving the resilience of the RNLI fleet.
“It means qualified technicians can respond and support between the islands, and store critical spares and parts, reducing the reliance on delivery from the UK.
“Our volunteer lifeboat crew can also travel between the islands to take advantage of training opportunities, which cuts down on the travel time and time away from their families and day jobs.”
RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes added: “We have reviewed and adjusted our lifeboat fleet and the placement of our lifeboats to meet the changing needs of our volunteers, supporters and communities we serve.
“We need to have confidence that the decisions we make now set us on a sustainable trajectory that is appropriate for the changing nature of lifesaving demand.
“This is fundamental if we are to achieve our goal of a future-fit, sustainable lifesaving service that keeps our people safe and enables us to save every one we can.”
