Broughty Ferry’s promised £2.5 million lifeboat is not on the horizon.
RNLI chiefs confirmed there are “no immediate plans” to replace the station’s current all-weather boat with a jet-powered Shannon-class vessel.
The news comes 20 months after Broughty landed the RNLI’s most advanced craft under a controversial review of local lifesaving.
Its outcome saw Arbroath lifeboat station lose its all-weather status in a decision which provoked fury in the Angus town.
The allocation of a high-speed Atlantic 85 rigid inflatable instead split the volunteer crew and fundraising guild.
Arbroath had been told as far back as 2014 it would receive the jet-powered Shannon.
But in April 2023 RNLI chiefs reversed the plan in a service review.
The charity said it wanted to have “the right boats and equipment in the right places to enable our crews to save as many lives as possible”.
Arbroath has operated with its Atlantic 85 since the summer.
Broughty has two lifeboats – the Trent-class Elizabeth of Glamis, and D-class Oor Lifesaver.
Current Broughty lifeboat on station almost 25 years
Broughty was the RNLI’s first inshore station in Scotland when it was established in 1830.
Volunteers there are frequently one of the country’s busiest lifeboat crews. In 2023, there were 121 launches.
And RNLB Elizabeth of Glamis had been on station since 2001.
But it appears the long-serving lifeboat will remain there as it heads towards its 35th anniversary.
A charity spokesperson said: “There are no immediate plans to replace the Trent-class lifeboat in Broughty Ferry.”
New lifeboat bound for Arbroath
Meanwhile, the RNLI says Arbroath is lined up to receive a brand new Atlantic 85 in 2025.
It will replace the stand-in RIB which was sent to Arbroath in July for familiarisation training.
“A new Atlantic 85 lifeboat is scheduled for production at the RNLI’s inshore lifeboat centre next year, with delivery planned for later in 2025,” the spokesperson added.
Arbroath RNLI crew recently posted dramatic Facebook footage of the lifeboat tackling rough seas at the height of Storm Bert.
The long-term future of Arbroath’s 222-year-old shed is also still undecided.
“The lifeboat station has undergone development to house the Atlantic 85, with feasibility studies ongoing to shape the future of our station footprint in Arbroath.”
The departure of the former Mersey-class lifeboat Inchcape in March marked the end of an era for the charity.
Arbroath was the last Scottish station with a slipway launch.
RNLB Inchcape was involved in more than 450 rescue missions over 30 years, saving 12 lives.
In October, we revealed she had been sold by the charity to join the fleet of a Dartmouth-based firm which carries families to sea to scatter the ashes of loved ones.
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