Jersey Coastguard has published its latest annual report, which shows that in 2024 officers responded to 210 incidents while the St Helier Vessel Traffic Service supervised 4,507 commercial vessels moving in and out of St Helier Harbour.
Jersey Coastguard and VTS Annual Report
The 210 incidents Jersey Coastguard responded to dealt with a variety of distress and emergency 999 calls.
- The number of incidents throughout 2024 was five more than in 2023
- Vessel equipment failure remained the main cause of search and rescue incidents and accounted for a fifth (20.5%) of all SAR incidents. This was down from just under 23% in 2023
- The second highest incident type was action with good intentions, which is when a member of the public reports what they think is a person in difficulty. There were 29 such incidents in 2024, compared to 20 in 2023
- The third highest type of recorded incident was a concern for welfare. This made up 9% of total incidents, a drop of 4% compared to 2023
- There were also 18 incidents where people needed help after being cut off by the tide. This figure was up from 13 in 2023
2024 was the first year that the Air Rescue Drone Team became a declared SAR asset. This voluntary team is mostly made up of ex-emergency services staff giving them a strong foundation for working alongside Coastguard, SAR partners and other emergency services.
The team carry several drones suited to various scenarios and weather conditions. Drones can be fitted with the equipment needed by different searches, including thermal night vision cameras, powerful search lights, audio capabilities, and power that enables unlimited flight time.
In 2024, the Air Rescue Drone team was sent to 23 emergency call outs. There were also eight additional requests relating to public safety, which included checking the integrity of hangar roofs at the airport following Storm Ciarán.
Coastguard Watch Officers also run a programme of public awareness and education, to raise awareness about sea safety, and promote responsible maritime practices. In 2024 they worked with Love Theatre to deliver a new play as an interactive way to share important sea safety messages to almost 4,000 primary school children at more than 70% of primary schools. As part of these public engagement activities, coastguards also held an open day in October, welcoming visitors into Maritime Operations Centre.
Coastguard and VTS Manager, Phil Le Neveu, said: “We are always analysing and responding to emerging trends in search and rescue incidents, and we use this information to promote targeted and relevant safety messages.
“We might use this information to inform our safety campaigns, to increase the number of patrols, or to monitor specific areas with CCTV, for example Elizabeth Castle causeway which is a common location for people being cut off by tides. And while Search and Rescue organisations and assets play a crucial role, our most valuable resource is the public, who act as our eyes and ears around the shores and on the water. In 2024, just over half of all incidents were reported by members of the public. We would like to thank those people who reported potential dangers at sea.”