The Lifeboat. 0576039

THE St Peter Port lifeboat has been forced to slow down on non-emergency call-outs due to rising fuel costs.
A 20-knot speed limit has been imposed by the RNLI for non-urgent trips and training after it estimated its annual fuel bill would rise by 100% this year, from £1.5m. for 2007 to £3m. in 2008.
But harbourmaster Peter Gill said under no circumstances would lives be put at risk by the conservation of fuel.
‘The RNLI policy is known as “20 is plenty”,’ he said.
‘But the launching authority, whoever is on duty at the time, has the authority to use the lifeboat in whatever way they think is necessary.
‘If whoever is in charge feels the vessel needs to go flat out, it will do so. No one should interpret this as putting lives at risk, not at all. We have complete authority to go at full speed if we deem it appropriate.’
An all-weather lifeboat at top speed (24 knots) uses about 360 litres of fuel every hour. But travelling at 20 knots reduces that to below 100 litres an hour.
Capt. Gill said the lifeboat, which is a charity-run service and relies on public donations, tried to be sensible with money that has come from ordinary people’s pockets.
‘We are mindful of the costs of running the boat and we would be remiss if we weren’t,’ he said.
‘The public expect us to save lives but they also expect us to operate the boat in a prudent fashion. But we are never going to put lives at risk.’
Capt. Gill said that, in terms of RNLI stations, the St Peter Port lifeboat was quite well funded but relied heavily on the generosity of people in the Bailiwick.
But he said the charity had suffered from rising fuel costs in the same way as many organisations, although he denied the service was at risk.
‘There is no concern that rising fuel costs will in any way threaten the service we provide,’ he said.
‘In practice, though, if you average out our operating costs for the year, it costs us in the order of £5,000 to start the engines every time we go out on a shout.
‘Not all of that money goes on fuel, though.’