In December 2004, the government inked a nearly $1 million contract to buy the Vigilant II, a new 51-foot multipurpose boat that was intended to serve as a first responder for medical emergencies, evacuations, search-and-rescue operations, and vessel fires.
About four months later, the Vigilant II caught on fire while undergoing a test run in Road Harbour. Fire and Rescue Services officers and a local boat captain helped extinguish the flames, but not before the blaze had inflicted “considerable damage” to the vessel, a first responder said at the time.
Those initial problems would prove to be an omen for the boat’s future: It would have to undergo tens of thousands of dollars in repairs over the next decade, during much of which it was not operational.
However, the Vigilant II is finally seaworthy again and ready to serve its intended purpose, Health and Social Development Minister Ronnie Skelton announced on March 30 at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Iris O’Neal Medical Centre on Virgin Gorda.
“The vessel required more extensive repairs than we realised when it was first handed over to us, and the repair works took a lot longer than we anticipated,” Mr. Skelton said. “The boat is now seaworthy, and we’re making final arrangements to hire a captain and crew to operate in partnership with Fire and Rescue Services Department here on Virgin Gorda.”
Petrona Davies, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Development, estimated the repair costs between 2012 and 2015 to be roughly $100,000, along with nearly $10,000 in boatyard charges.
Repairs included a complete engine rebuild, replacement of drive-shaft seals, engine alignment, replacement of cutlass bearings, replacement of zincs and repairs, and painting of the hull and bottom of the boat, according to Ms. Davies.
Records suggest that there were a number of starts and stops in the restoration process. Beacon archives state that the boat was with the VI Shipping Registry in 2011 before coming into the possession of the ministry in 2012.
A document outlining government supplemental spending that took place in 2012 stated that the MHSD spent an extra $406,800 that year to “cover the cost of emergency response boat engines and new initiatives to year end,” but Ms. Davies clarified that only $60,000 of that total went to the boat engines.
The same year that the MHSD allocated money to the emergency boat, then-BVI Health Services Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ronald Georges reportedly stated during 2012 Standing Finance Committee deliberations that the vessel was deemed inappropriate to be used for medical purposes.
Ms. Davies also said at the time that there was no crew on duty during the evening hours to operate the vessel, according to the 2012 SFC report.
Health care officials seemingly renewed efforts to get the Vigilant II up and running the following year: According to the 2013 SFC report, $147,800 was budgeted for the vessel’s operation that year, allowing for three licensed local captains to be paid an on-call allowance.
During the 2013 SFC deliberations, Ms. Davies said that the boat would be fully operational within two weeks, the report states.
Mr. Skelton, however, cautioned at the time that the process might take longer, according to the report.
“[Mr. Skelton] advised that a definitive answer could not be given at this time,” the report added.
Ms. Davies said this week that the $147,000 budgeted for the boat in 2013 was never spent.
Fire and Rescue Services Department officials are seeking someone to captain the Vigilant II, and are finalising other operational arrangements with the BVIHSA, according to Ms. Davies.
Fire Chief Zebalon McLean said that his department has not found a boat captain yet.
Ideally, he said, several fire officers and emergency medical technicians will obtain captain’s licences.
“What I know for sure, if you’re going to be operating an ambulance vessel, everyone needs to be an EMT,” he said.
The chief explained that emergency medical attention might be needed while the boat is in transit between islands.
“You might pick up someone on Virgin Gorda and have to put the boat in neutral and assist the patient,” he said. “You can’t just put the pedal to the metal in those situations.”
Moreover, Mr. McLean said, when every second counts in an emergency situation, it could be problematic to have to wait on a third-party captain to travel from another location.
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