Vessels stand in for marine ambulance

The Flying Christine III has been out of service since February

An RNLI lifeboat and other vessels have been standing in for Guernsey's St John marine ambulance Flying Christine III which has been out of service since February following a gearbox failure.

The RNLI St Peter Port Lifeboat, Brechou Chief and Access Challenger have all been deployed over the past few weeks for the ambulance service.

In total since February the lifeboat has been dispatched on 14 occasions for serious or life-threatening medical conditions, rescue crews confirmed.

St John Ambulance and Rescue Service's chief executive officer Mark Mapp said he was "extremely grateful for the crews of the relief vessels."

The Brechou Chief has been deployed three times to incidents, and the Access Challenger has been used once.

Stuart Malley, operations lead at St John Ambulance and Rescue Service said The Flying Christine is 30 years old next year, and was originally built with a 30 year design life.

He said a global supply chain crisis had resulted in long delays in obtaining parts from the USA.

"We have had superb support and service from the local marine industry, but the availability of the parts has been out of our control," he said.

“The fact that there have been 18 marine ambulance missions so far this year proves the need for a dedicated marine ambulance.

"We are extremely grateful for the crews of the relief vessels for their ongoing support which has enabled us to continue to provide an essential emergency service for the Bailiwick", Mr Mapp added.