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The Jersey Lifeboat Association has thanked the Chief Minister for a formal apology over the charity's suspension in 2021, "putting a line under" the saga and providing a "seal of approval" for the work of the life-saving volunteers.
JLA Chair Simon O’Donoghue said Deputy Lyndon Farnham had gone "above and beyond" with his response to a report by the Jersey Complaints Board published earlier this year.
The Board found that the JLA's suspension in 2021 was “excessive, unjust and oppressive”, in the wake of a complaint by its former chair, Ben Shenton.
Mr Shenton's complaint related to the way the charity was treated following a collision involving its all-weather-lifeboat nearly three years ago.
The charity returned to action as a SAR asset last year following a redeclaration process, but Mr Shenton had previously argued there had been “no legal or factual basis” to freeze either of its vessels in the first place.
Pictured: The JLA said the apology helped draw a line under the saga, which was sparked by a collision involving its all-weather-lifeboat nearly three years ago.
Responding to the Board's findings, Deputy Farnham this week said it was "a matter of regret" that the disagreements between the JLA, Ports of Jersey and the government had continued "for a protracted period" and that matters "were not dealt with as swiftly or effectively as they could have been".
However, he noted that "good progress" had been made to strengthen the relationships between the organisations involved in the complaint.
He continued: "Since taking office in January, I have visited both lifeboat teams at their harbour bases, met their volunteers and toured their vessels.
"Their dedication to duty is unquestionable and both teams expressed a desire to move forward positively and collaboratively."
Pictured: Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham said the "dedication to duty" of the island's lifeboat teams is "unquestionable".
Deputy Farnham added: "As the Board acknowledges in its conclusion, progress has been made to ensure the JLA remains a core asset in local search and rescue operations.
"Jersey finds itself in the fortunate position of having two volunteer search and rescue services at our disposal, each with a dedicated team of volunteers."
"I am sorry that this series of events has caused so much concern and disruption.
"I would like to apologise to those men and women involved in this matter who regularly put their own lives at risk and go to sea in in the most treacherous conditions to save others.
"Given what we have learnt from the past and the strong progress that has been made, I hope we can now all move forward."
"The island's maritime environment can present some of the most challenging conditions. Our maritime search and rescue organisations are therefore a critical part of island life. The Jersey Lifeboat Association and the RNLI are crewed by some of our most courageous islanders and Jersey is extremely grateful and proud of what they do," he added.
Mr Donoghue said the Chief Minister had gone "above and beyond" with the apology, describing it as a "seal of approval".
"It puts a line under it [the saga]," he said.
"We have a great working relationship with Ports and with the government.
"We are here for the long-term."
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