RNLI in Scotland evolving to meet lifesaving demand

Between 2028 and 2030, six lifeboat stations across Scotland will receive new lifeboats as part of the RNLI’s 2040 fleet strategy. Scotland’s two remaining Trent-class lifeboats, based at Broughty Ferry and Dunbar, will be replaced by Coastal lifeboats. Meanwhile, the Severn-class lifeboats at Campbeltown, Stromness and Mallaig will be succeeded by Shannon-class lifeboats, while Portpatrick’s Shannon-class lifeboat will be replaced by a Coastal lifeboat.

Compelling data, provided by RNLI lifeboat crews, lifeguards and partners, and compiled over many years, shows that the majority of incidents the charity’s lifeboats respond to are now within the operational capabilities of an inshore lifeboat. Between 2017-2024, 98% of the RNLI’s lifeboat response was within 10 nautical miles of the shore, 1.8% was between 10 and 25 nautical miles and just 0.2% of incidents were at a range greater than 25 nautical miles offshore. RNLI lifeboats responded to 9,058 operational services in 2025, over three and half times what was expected of us 50 years ago.

The RNLI’s Lifeboat Fleet Strategy is designed to ensure that the charity has the most appropriate lifeboats in the right places which will save the greatest number of lives in the most effective way and, will crucially, keep our people safe. The RNLI has reviewed its lifeboat fleet laydown and has developed a considered plan, to be delivered over the next 15 years, to ensure it meets the changing needs of its volunteers, supporters and the communities we serve.

The second phase of lifeboat asset changes, which will take effect between 2028-2030, have been outlined in the strategy and the affected lifeboat stations have been informed. Twenty four lifeboat stations, out of the 238 which operate around the UK and Ireland, will undergo a lifeboat capability change in this period. It will see the modernisation of the charity’s lifeboat fleet through the gradual exit of the Trent class All Weather Lifeboat, which first entered service in 1994, by the end of 2028. It will also see a significant capability upgrade to Shannon all-weather lifeboat and the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat, together with the introduction of the new Coastal Lifeboat class in 2028.

Careful consideration has been given to the age, capabilities, location and pattern of lifeboats around the coast of the UK and Ireland, in response to the changing nature of lifesaving. This work has been informed by changes in search and rescue technology, and it has drawn on a combination of in-depth data, insights and specialist knowledge. Numerous potential options have been explored, tested and refined to meet different lifesaving scenarios.

Peter Sparkes, RNLI Chief Executive, said:

‘The RNLI has constantly evolved and improved our service over 202 years. We make evidence-based decisions and strive to ensure that we have the right lifeboats in the right places, at the right time to save as many lives as possible around the coast of the UK and Ireland and, crucially, to enable us to bring our selfless, dedicated people home safely. We are responding to the changing nature of lifesaving at sea by adapting our service to ensure it is fit for our nations' future needs.'

‘What will never change is our charity’s purpose, to save lives at sea and our mission, to save every one.

‘We have a responsibility to our volunteer crews to make sure we are providing them with the most capable lifeboat, personal protective equipment and best training to enable them to save lives at sea as safely and effectively as possible.

‘And as a charity, we must also be clear that we are spending our donors’ money wisely in the right areas and where it will have the most impact. Our 2040 Lifeboat Fleet Strategy provides us with the guiding principles, clear priorities, and actionable information necessary to make these decisions.

‘The changes we are announcing now are fundamental to meeting our goal of a future-fit and sustainable lifesaving service that keeps our own people safe and enables us to save every one we can.’

The RNLI’s Lifeboat Fleet Strategy should be seen in the context of a 365/24/7 all-weather search and rescue service. It carefully considers the needs of an individual lifeboat station nested within the wider service around the Irish and UK Coastline. Our layered and integrated lifesaving service, which incorporates water-safety training, lifeguards and lifeboats, will start on shore and work out to a range of 75 nautical miles. We are optimising the capability of all our lifeboats, whilst rationalising legacy classes of the all-weather lifeboat fleet, investing in technology and newer, far more capable boats.

Use of the sea around the UK and Ireland has changed profoundly over the last 50 years. Far fewer lifeboat services are to boats and vessels, increasingly we are responding to people who start out from the beach and use the coast for recreational purposes, such as open water swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding.

When deciding which lifeboats to place at a station, the RNLI considers the capabilities across flanking stations and other search and rescue services to ensure coverage and meet the lifesaving demand.

ENDS

Notes to editor:

Lifeboat changes in 2026:

• Larne Lifeboat Station: Trent class to a Shannon class
• Fenit Lifeboat Station: Trent class to a Shannon class
• Ballycotton Lifeboat Station: Trent class to a Shannon class
• Fraserburgh Lifeboat Station: Trent class to a Tamar class
• Wick Lifeboat Station: Trent class to a Shannon class
• Portree Lifeboat Station: Trent class to a Shannon class
• Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station: Shannon class to Atlantic 85 Mk3
• Appledore Lifeboat Station: Tamar class to a Shannon class
• Tynemouth Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Tamar class
• Weymouth Lifeboat Station: Severn class to Severn class

Lifeboat changes in 2027

• Howth Lifeboat Station: Trent class to a Shannon class
• Buckie Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Shannon class
• Salcombe Lifeboat Station: Tamar class to a Shannon class
• Alderney Lifeboat Station: Trent class to a Shannon class
• St Peter Port Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Shannon class
• Hastings Lifeboat Station: Shannon class to an Atlantic 85 Mk 4
• Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station: Shannon class to Atlantic 85 Mk 4
• Plymouth Lifeboat Station: Severn class to Severn class

Lifeboat changes in 2028

• Eastbourne Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Achill Island Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class to a Shannon class
• Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class to a Coastal lifeboat
• Fishguard Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Donaghadee Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class
• Rhyl Lifeboat Station: Shannon class to an Atlantic 85 Mk4
• Red Bay Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class
• Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Holyhead Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Dunbar Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Douglas Lifeboat Station: To receive a Coastal Lifeboat
• Port St Mary Lifeboat Station: Retirement of Trent class

Lifeboat changes in 2029

• Harwich Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Shannon class
• Mallaig Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Shannon class
• Angle Lifeboat Station: Tamar class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Torbay Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Shannon class
• Portpatrick Lifeboat Station: Shannon class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Rosslare Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Aith Lifeboat Station: Severn class to another Severn class

Lifeboat changes in 2030

• Stromness Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Shannon class
• Sligo Bay Lifeboat Station: Atlantic 85 lifeboat to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Wicklow Lifeboat Station: Shannon class to a Coastal Lifeboat
• Campbeltown Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Shannon class
• Plymouth Lifeboat Station: Severn class to a Coastal Lifeboat

Shannon class

The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI fleet and includes the very latest in lifesaving technology including enhanced navigation tools to assist with navigation both off shore and within confined areas.

The Shannon is propelled by water jets rather than traditional propellers making them extremely manoeuvrable and agile with an ability to operate extremely well in both deep and shallower water.

Atlantic 85 Mk4

The A85 Mk4 will modernise our fleet, enhance operational capability, deliver digital communication and allow us to adopt a more sustainable, cost-effective support model aligned with the needs of today’s lifesaving service.

The requirements and capabilities of the A85 Mk4 needs to support the rest of our fleet and allow us to meet our evolving lifesaving demand.

Volunteer crew have been involved and integral in the design and modifications for the A85 Mk4 to ensure it meets their needs as well as the casualties they rescue.

Coastal lifeboat

The new Coastal Lifeboat will modernise our fleet, enhance operational capability, introduce digital systems and support a more sustainable, cost-effective operating model aligned with today’s lifesaving service.

The Coastal Lifeboat is supplied with a watertight wheelhouse and will be self-righting. The strategy assumes that the Coastal Lifeboat will not require cover from existing all-weather lifeboat classes, but it is envisaged that it will provide cover to flank inshore lifeboats as presented within the strategy laydown.

The Coastal Lifeboat will provide the following to our fleet:

• Deliver greater capability than an inshore lifeboat for weather conditions, endurance, towing, casualty care, and crew comfort and wellbeing.
  
  
• Be optimised for operations within 0 to 10 nautical miles offshore while remaining capable of operating up to 25 nautical miles offshore.

• Bridge the capability gap between the Atlantic 85 Mk4 and Shannon class lifeboats.

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Communications Lead - Scotland , [email protected] or 07920365929

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

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