• SWASFT being sued for running aground boat it chartered
  • Trust does not contest its responsibility but disputes level of damages owed

An ambulance trust is being sued for £1.2m in damages after it damaged a boat off the Cornish coast, according to papers filed with the High Court.

South West Ambulance Service Foundation Trust chartered the boat to transport patients and supplies around the Isles of Scilly in 2018 when it was grounded on rocks near the Isles.

The trust is not contesting it was responsible for the grounding, nor that the boat was damaged and it is liable to compensate the owner. It is, however, contesting how much it will have to pay in loss and damages.

Blue Hunter, photographed by Oliver Dixon

SWASFT had a long history of chartering the boat, Blue Hunter, from the firm Blue Hunter Boating. Since December 2016 the trust would provide the skipper and was responsible for the vessel. It would pay £500 a day to use it when the boat it usually used, the Star of Life, was unavailable.

It had chartered Blue Hunter in March 2018 and in late April it was grounded while traveling at high speed, according to Blue Hunter Boating. The trust disputes the pace at which the boat was travelling.

The firm said it was entitled to compensation for works to restore the boat to the same condition from before the grounding. It is also seeking payment to ensure it would be licensed to operate commercially on the same terms as before the grounding, as well as payment to cover other losses, including lost profits.

The trust denies it is liable for modifications to make the vessel compliant for licenced condition, saying it had previously been incorrectly licensed. It also disputes the level of cover claimed for the loss of profits, saying repair works had progressed at “glacial pace”.

Blue Hunter Boating said delays to repair work were due to various factors, including lack of capacity at boat yards, lack of suitably qualified personnel to carry out some of the repair work, and the covid pandemic shutting boat yards.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “As this is an ongoing legal matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment any further at this stage.”

Blue Hunter Boating declined to comment.