Station closes after warring volunteers clash
BY CHARLIE GALL c.gall@dailyrecord.co.uk A WARRING lifeboat crew has hit the rocks amid “personal rivalries”, “lack of mutual trust” and “historic disagreements”.
In an astonishing move, RNLI chiefs have suspended a number of volunteers at Peterhead, forcing the station out of action.
They ruled splits among the team at the UK’s biggest fishing port were so serious that they couldn’t operate “safely or effectively”. RNLI bosses said it was a “last resort”.
The charity even brought in a trained mediator in a doomed bid to deal with “negative behaviours”.
Lifeboat crews in Aberdeen and Fraserburgh have been put on standby to cover while the awardwinning station is stood down.
One local source said: “It’s an all-male crew and this is all about big egos.”
Another said: “Apparently, they just can’t see eye to eye with one another, which wouldn’t be good on risky life-saving missions. But Peterhead needs a lifeboat station.”
It’s believed lifeboat coxswain Andy Brown, who last year received his 30-year long-service award, is sailing in the Mediterranean.
The station’s press officer David Anderson said: “I can’t really help you but the sooner it’s sorted out the better.”
Senior RNLI l personnel took the decision as some of the crew “continue to exhibit negative behaviours that have been challenged for many years”.
A spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately, some crew members have been unable to work together to put the lifesaving service before their own personal rivalries and historic disagreements, resulting in the decision that they can no longer remain as part of the crew.”
She said the RNLI has a responsibility “to ensure the safety of our crews, our partners and those whose lives we save”, adding: “In the right environment, we are confident that the remaining crew can operate a safe, effective and sustainable rescue service.”
Local Charlie Duncan said: “A sad day for the port of Peterhead that the lifeboat has to stand down because of grown men being unable to heal their differences”
The bad blood comes in the wake of an incident a year ago when a crew member was suspended for cleaning gull droppings off the lifeboat.
A probe was launched over a possible breach of health and safety. The RNLI refused to be drawn on the suspension – lifted after two weeks – saying it was “confidential”.