Lifeboat to have a £250,000 refit and makeover

One of Jersey's lifeboats will be out of action for two months as it undergoes a major refit.

The Jersey Lifeboat Association's all weather vessel, the Sir Max Aitken III, will have new engines installed and a revamp to its 1980s interior.

Work is expected to cost £250,000, all funded by donations to the charity.

The transformation project is to be undertaken entirely in Jersey, with help from volunteers and local engineers, the Jersey Lifeboat Association (JLA) said.

The Sir Max Aitken III entered service in 1987 and arrived to serve island communities with the JLA in 2017.

Senior coxswain Alain Baudains said after nearly 40 years of service, it was time for the lifeboat to have an update.

"The engines have reached the end of their economic viability and parts are getting harder to get hold of," he said.

"We're in a day and age of fuel efficiency and going green. So, we're going to update the Sir Max Aitken into somewhere near the 21st Century."

Since 2018, volunteer crews aboard the Sir Max Aitken III and the charity's inshore lifeboat have been deployed on more than 100 emergency callouts and have saved 17 lives.

The JLA's second vessel will be used while the Sir Max Aitken III is out of action, with additional support from RNLI Jersey's all-weather lifeboat.

Helm and trainee Engineer Ian Esnouf said all work on the refit was being undertaken by local people.

"We've got a group of people together to do the work locally. We want all the money and all the work to stay within the industry of the island," he said.

"So things like shipbuilding and chandlery shops need support and we think by doing the refit here ourselves that will give them some support back into the island."