13 October 2026
by Niall Christie
The charity said data and analysis has informed the decisions taken
A Scottish lifeboat charity has announced plans for a series of organisational upgrades in the coming years.
RNLI Scotland has confirmed that between 2028 and 2030 six stations across Scotland will receive new lifeboats as part of the organisation'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, crucially, will keep crews 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 it serves.
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.”
RNLI Scotland announce upgrade plans for six stations - TFN
The above information is from a Third Force News (TFN) Weekly Funding & Finance roundup Newsletter Wed 14/10/2026