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Jersey Coastguard had another busy year in 2023, working with the island's search and rescue assets and emergency services to address hundreds of incidents – but was it as busy as the record-breaking year of 2022?
Express took a look at the latest annual report, which gives a breakdown of the figures...
In 2023, Jersey Coastguard responded to 205 incidents.
These mainly included dealing with distress and 999 calls, and co-ordinating search and rescues with partners such as lifeboats, aircraft, the emergency services and other ships in the vicinity.
This is similar to 2022's figure of 206, which was Jersey Coastguard's busiest year on record.
Pictured: The Saint Brieuc Offshore windfarm project saw St Helier used as a hub for crew transfers.
St Helier Vessel Traffic Service monitored 4,570 commercial vessels in and out of St Helier Harbour in 2023, which is comparable to pre-pandemic levels.
There has been a significant increase in crew transfer vessels using St Helier as a hub for the Saint Brieuc Offshore windfarm project.
A Sea Safety campaign was delivered to more than 3,500 school children.
Vessel equipment failure remained the main cause of search and rescue operations, accounting for nearly a quarter of all reported incidents (23%).
The second highest incident type was that of a concern for welfare of person, at 13%, which was a 3% increase on 2022.
In 2023, half of all incidents were reported by members of the public.
Equipment failure accounted for a similar amount of incidents in 2023 (48 incidents), as in 2022 (47 incidents).
Incidents cause by concern for welfare increased from 21 in 2022, to 27 in 2023.
The number of incidents due to being cut off by incoming tides decreased significantly from 23 in 2022 to just 13 in 2023.
Pictured: The JLA regained its operational capability as an official search and rescue asset last year.
The report also notes that in June 2023, the Jersey Lifeboat Association was officially re-declared as a search and rescue asset.
The process for the re-declaration comprised a two-part audit process, undertaken by Jersey Coastguard and with senior members of His Majesty’s Coastguard observing.
It was confirmed that the JLA had met the requirements of the Declared Facility Framework, as set out by Jersey Coastguard and the Maritime and Coastguard agency of the UK.
Since then, the JLA has been tasked to assist with 12 incidents, including an 11-meter rib which was swamped on the Minquiers sandbank with four people on board.
The report stated: "Jersey Coastguard serves as a central communication hub for maritime emergencies, liaising with various agencies, vessels, and authorities to coordinate responses effectively.
"As a small island, we are fortunate to have access to a vast network of search and rescue resources from neighbouring territories, which complement our own locally stationed assets."
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