Quay Notes

IN THIS ISSUE

NPS for ports

Spring Seminar

Warning to Boaters

Issue 56 - Q1 2010

QUAYnotesThe official newsletter of The Harbour Masters’ Association of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man

Quaynotes Issue 56 Final final.qxd 9/4/10 11:31 am

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RReecceenntt AAssssoocciiaatt iioonn MMeeeett iinnggssNorth Constituency (Open): Scarborough,

Oct 2009Northern Ireland (Open): Belfast

December 2009Solent and Southern (SASHMA): Jersey,

November 2009South East Constituency: March 2010UKHMA Council: March 2010

FFoorrtthhccoommiinngg MMeeeett iinnggssScotland (Open): Glasgow

(with Fishing 2010), 21 May 2010Solent and Southern (SASHMA):

Hayling Island, 15 June 2010UKHMA Council: Hayling Island,

15 June 2010UKHMA Annual General Meeting:

ABP Southampton (exact venue TBC); 16 June 2010

South West (Open): Torquay, 5 October 2010

UKHMA Council: VSC, London, 2 November 2010

UKHMA Autumn Seminar: VSC, London, 3 November 2010

Northern Ireland: Belfast, 3 December 2010

UUKKHHMMAA rreecceenntt aanndd ffoorr tthhccoommiinngg mmeeeett iinnggss

TTiillbbuurryy HHMM rreeccoommmmeennddeedd ffoorr hhoonnoouurrTilbury Port’s harbour master Richard Exleyhas been in the news recently surroundinga campaign for him to be awarded with anMBE for bravery. The recommendation wasput forward in a Parliamentary Early Daymotion on1 March.

In 1984 Richard Exley, helped save almost2,000 lives in the Falklands with his experthandling of a salvage tug.

He was Master of the deep-sea tugIrishman, which sailed with the Task Forceto the Falklands. The tug’s role was toassist the Queen’s Harbour Master whenrequired, including being on standby formajor incidents.

Second Officers Peter Jones and Keith Taskeralso risked their lives along with CaptainExley when they prevented a barge, contain-ing mines, unexploded artillery shells,grenades, mortars and various other muni-tionsl from crashing into a British troop ship,Rangatira. The floating arsenal had beenstored on a barge that had broken loosefrom its moorings in Port Stanley.

The adverse weather conditions made this a

particularly dangerous mission whichincluded both Second Officers having tojump from the tug on to the barge tosecure it.

In extremely difficult conditions CaptainExley was able to manoeuvre the tug closeenough to the barge so Officer Jones couldjump aboard.

Officers Jones and Tasker then managed tosecure a tow line to a bollard – enablingthe Irishman to tow the barge to safety.

The Merchant Navy Association has recog-nised the actions of these three men andexpressed concern that their bravery hasnever been officially acknowledged andsupports calls for them to be awarded anational honour.

The Parliamentary Early Day motion notesthe fact that the event occurred over 25years ago, but this should not justify with-holding such an honour; and calls on theGovernment to recommend that all threemen be recognised in the next nationalhonours to acknowledge the bravery theyshowed in extreme conditions.

New Chief Inspector ofMarine Accidents(MAIB) appointedTransport Secretary, Andrew Adonis, hasappointed Steve Clinch as the new ChiefInspector of Marine Accidents, the head of theMarine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).

He will take up the post later this year,when the current Chief Inspector, StephenMeyer, retires after more than eight yearsof distinguished service.

Steve Clinch has been the Deputy ChiefInspector of Marine Accidents since joiningthe MAIB in 2004. Prior to this, he built up awealth of experience and knowledgethrough a career in the commercial shippingindustry spanning more than 30 years.

The key role of the new Chief Inspector ofMarine Accidents will be to build on theMAIB’s reputation for excellence in acci-dent investigation, by ensuring that allinvestigations meet the standards of rigour,objectivity and integrity for which theBranch is widely acclaimed.

OOffff iicciiaall nnoott iiccee ooff mmeeeett iinnggUKHMA Annual General Meeting

16 June 2010ABP Southampton

NewsNews

UKHMA Council, London,March 2010


PresidentPresident ’s Column’s Column

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UKHMAThe Harbour Masters' Association of theUnited Kingdom, the Channel Islands andthe Isle of Man (UKHMA),Maritime Centre,F5 Northney Marina,Hayling IslandHants PO11 0NHTel: 023 9246 0111Fax: 023 9246 0123

SecretaryPeter Moth

Editorial Peter Moth; Anne-Marie Causer Tel: 023 92460 111Email: [email protected]

Design & Production:Maritime Intelligence Ltd (MIL)[email protected]: Wendy WillmottTel: 01329 238904Email: [email protected]

Published on behalf of the UKHMA byMaritime Intelligence Ltd

Printed bySG Print, England

ISSN 1470-7225© UKHMA/MIL 2010

Quay Notes is published three times ayear. Advertising and promotion in eachissue is open to marine and related businesses (discounted rates are offered toUKHMA Commercial members subject toavailability). Brochure/leaflet inserts considered on request.

For further details, including rates andavailability Tel: 01329 238904.

Articles for editorial consideration, on relevant subjects, are invited from allMembers. Photographic material should besupplied as positive prints or JPG electronic images only.

The views published in Quay notes arethose of individual authors and are notnecessarily those of the UKHMA, MIL orthe Editor.

DDeeaarr CCooll lleeaagguueess

Doesn’t time fly? It seems such a shorttime since I wrote my last Quay Notes col-umn and yet here we are again with aquarter of a new year almost gone!

This year will be important for us all andfor a number of reasons. On a broad frontit is of course a General Election year andalthough the date is not yet fixed most ofthe political pundits are predicting a Mayelection. Whatever your political affiliations,in the Ports industry the main effect of aGeneral Election it seems to me, is a com-plete paralysis on the important decisionmaking process which directly impact onthe business of Ports. Whether it is newinfrastructure development, planning andconsents, new legislation, harbour revisionorders, revisions of Bye Laws, the list isendless but all will be affected and delayedto some extent or another by this quadren-nial democratic process!

When I last wrote this column we werestill in the grips of the deepest recession for60 years and we have barely emerged ontopositive growth this quarter which technical-ly means we have staggered out of reces-sion. In the ports industry we cannot hopeto be insulated from the effects of thefinancial climate and indeed, I know frommy conversations with many of you thatthose effects are already being widely felt.Cutbacks, rationalisation, re-trenching, re-focusing the business, driving for efficien-cies; they all mean the same thing and formany of us the process is painful!

However, growth will return eventuallyand when it does we must be ready for itand our ports must be ready to take advan-tage of it so do not throw away all of thoseredevelopment plans or expansion planscompletely… just settle for them sitting onthe top shelf for a while longer!

Onto more positive news on theQualifications front.

The revision of National OccupationalStandards for H/M’s is well underway andwill be completed on schedule by June ofthis year. The next step is to design the

Certificate ofCompetence processand I hope to reportand consult fre-quently with mem-bers on this issuethroughout the com-ing year. We aredetermined to get itright and deliver aCoC that is valued by the industry and byyou, the Harbour Masters.

Our Spring Seminar was again a bigsuccess and even in such a difficult finan-cial climate it was good to see so many ofyou attend. Apart from being reminded ofwhat the “Eckman Spiral” was and how itaffects tidal surges, I particularly enjoyedlistening to the Chair of the newly formedMarine Management Organisation (MMO)and how this agency will improve andenhance our lives in the future.

As always it was good to meet oldfriends, acquaintances and respected col-leagues and none more so than CaptainAlan Coghlan, President of theInternational Harbour Masters’ Associationwho attended as my guest. BothAssociations have much in common and itwas good to exchange views and opinionson the issues that occupy our respectivememberships.

Finally, at our last Council meeting justbefore the Seminar we spent some timeconsidering the Association’s logo. We arecontemplating a change but we wish toconsult with you, the members on what canbe quite a sensitive and even emotional,issue, certainly there was quite a diverserange of views expressed around the coun-cil table. Our Secretary, Peter Moth will becontacting you all shortly to seek views soplease do take the opportunity to let usknow what you think.

Spring seems to be in the air and thatnever fails to lift my spirits after a long anddifficult winter. I wish you all a successfuland safe year ahead.

KKeevviinn RRiicchhaarrddssoonn President, UKHMA

Front Cover

VTMS Ltd is a proud com-mercial member of theUKHMA and has been sinceit's inception in 2000.

In these 10 years since start-ing out as a supplier of con-sumables to ports and har-bours, VTMS has developed a range ofelastomer/steel navigation buoys and nowpresent the VT3050 3 metre dia. Deep Seaor Fairway Buoy.

This buoy has been tested for a 2year period in the harshest of seaconditions and performed excel-lently. Main features include a 5mfocal height, 700 AH internal bat-tery capacity and ability to free-stand on deck for deployment andservice. The buoy will be targetedat the expanding wind farm, tidaland wave power markets.

VTMS Ltd now have a portfolio of18 maintenance contracts, offering an ondeck annual service, major refurbishmentand emergency call-out to buoys and bea-cons. VTMS Ltd service engineers are on

call 24/7 to any on-shore or offshore navi-gation aid emergency.

Jack Hamilton, Managing Director ofVTMS, has more than 30 years experiencein the sales and development of MarineAids to Navigation worldwide. He consid-ers membership of the UKHMA a privilegeand a benefit, keeping the company intouch with current trends and requirements.

Jack predicts a boom time ahead for buoysand beacons as the offshore renewableenergy giant swings into action.

www.vtmsltd.com


NewsNews

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New framework for port development

Ports around England and Wales will havea new planning framework to work in whenconsidering development, thanks to thelaunch of the Government's new NationalPolicy Statement (NPS) for the sector.

The new NPS - which is subject to publicconsultation - sets out the broad need foradditional ports capacity up to 2030 andbeyond, taking such things as freightdemand forecasts and the economic bene-fits of ports into account.

The document builds on existingGovernment policy, which is that the needfor ports capacity can best be met with an

efficient and competitive industry working ina free-market environment. This new docu-ment also includes wider Governmentobjectives for sustainable development, cov-ering issues such as climate change consid-erations and the wider environmentalimpact of port development.

This is one of the first National Policy State-ments to be published, in line with the widerGovernment reforms to the planning systemincluded in last year's Planning Act. The NPSis designed to provide a clear frameworkfor both port developers and the new Infra-structure Planning Commission (IPC). It willplay an important part in any decisions

PPoorrtt ddeevveellooppmmeenntt nnooww nneeeeddss ttoo aaddhheerree ttoo tthhee nneeww ppllaannnniinngg ffrraammeewwoorrkk ooff tthhee NNPPSS..

taken by the Commission when consider-ing applications for new developments.Shipping minister, Paul Clark, said:"With over 90% of all goods arriving inthe UK by sea, our ports currently employover 54,000 people and clearly play acrucial role in the daily life of everybodyin this country. While it is completely rightthat ports are free to operate on a com-mercial basis, any planned developmentclearly needs to be considered carefullyto ensure local and environmental issuesare properly taken into account.

This new document will make it easier forthose wishing to invest in ports develop-ment to submit planning applications, aswell as providing an important frameworkfor the IPC to use when considering them."

Under the present system, harbour devel-opments are subject to harbour revisionor empowerment orders under theHarbours Act 1964. In some cases addi-tional planning consents under Town andCountry Planning legislation, and/or theTransport and Works Act, are required inparallel. The new system will simplifyapplications by providing for these con-sents to be combined in one Develop-ment Consent Order.

This NPS will apply to ports in England and(since ports policy is not devolved there)Wales. Planning applications will be refe-rred to the IPC where the annual capacityof the proposed development exceeds:- 500,000 TEU;- 250,000 ro-ro units; or- 5M tonnes of bulk/other cargo.

Two Brighton scientists and a Franco-Britishpartnership have been awarded EUR 5Mto find safe disposal methods for dredgedmarine sediments.

Drs Laurence Hopkinson and Kevin Stonefrom the University of Brighton's School ofEnvironment and Technology will be work-ing with Association francaises des PortsLocaux de la Manche and with portsincluding Newhaven, Shoreham, Fowey,Poole, Plymouth, Falmouth, Le Havre,Cherbourg and Brest.

The funding is from the EU programmeINTERREG IVA and the project, calledSETARMS (Sustainable EnvironmentalTreatment and Resuse Marine Sediments),aims to produce economic and environ-ment solutions. The multi-national projectwill run until 2013 and will involve seven

of the university's staff and two newresearchers plus vessels, plant andmachinery as necessary.

The main problem with dredged sedimentis disposal and options depend on thelevel of contamination. If it is sand or grav-el it can be cleaned and reused as aggre-

gate but if the material is fine grained siltsand clay then it is often deposited in land-fill sites which is not environmentallyfriendly. It could be decontaminated ormixed with and locked inside cement but,these are both costly.

SETARMS aims to determine the level andtype of contamination at the ports and todevelop new strategies to treat and sta-bilise the sediment.

Dr Stone said: "Clearly, the more materialthat can be treated and resused, the lessthat has to go to disposal and thus theenvironmental impact is greatly reduced."

It is hoped that Dr Hopkinson or Dr Stonewill speak at the UKHMA Autumn Seminaron 3 November.

Safe disposal methods for dredged marine sediments


5

Stena Line has announced investmentdetails of approximately £200m in a newferry port facility at Loch Ryan in Scotland.

A 28-acre site two miles north of Cairnryanhas been chosen to locate the facility whichwill be constructed to accommodate a mixof travel and freight customers all yearround. The investment also includes theaddition of two large modern ferries whenthe port becomes fully operational on itsIrish Sea service to Belfast Port.

Construction work at the new port is antici-pated to take approximately 20 monthscreating over 900 jobs and will be com-pleted by autumn 2011.

A Harbour Empowerment Order (HEO) toallow the creation of the new port has justbeen approved by the Scottish Parliament.

The new port facility represents the first in anumber of projects across Scotland whichhave been assigned National Project status bythe Scottish Government and will halve thetime it currently takes to turn vessels around.

Speaking at the recentannouncement hosted byScotland’s First MinisterAlex Salmond, Dan StenOlsson, Chairman ofStena Line outlined theimportance of the devel-opment to the future pros-perity of Scotland. Hesaid, “The link betweenScotland and NorthernIreland provides a hugenumber of benefits forboth countries. Tourismand freight businessbetween Scotland andNorthern Ireland has seensignificant growth in recentyears and despite the current difficult trad-ing conditions, we are confident that aninvestment of this magnitude will pay divi-dends over the medium to long term.”

Speaking at the announcement, FirstMinister Alex Salmond said, “This newdevelopment will safeguard and create1,400 jobs and trigger significant invest-

ment in Dumfries and Galloway. I amdelighted to welcome the decision toapprove this project and Stena Line’s com-mitment and continuing contribution to theScottish economy.”

Each year Stena Line carries over 400 000freight units on the Irish Sea and approxi-mately three million passengers.

Stena Line invests £200m in new Scottish port

AA vviissuuaall rreepprreesseennttaattiioonn ooff tthhee nneeww SStteennaa ppoorrtt ffaacciilliittyy aatt LLoocchh RRyyaann..

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NewsNews

6

A study led by ABPmer on options for tak-ing account of social-economic factors inthe planning of marine protected areas(MPA) networks, has now been publishedby Defra.

The Marine and Coastal Access Act pro-vides for the establishment of an ecologi-cally coherent network of MPAs that willcontribute to the protection of marineecosystems and biodiversity. The selectionof sites in English inshore waters is beingtaken forward through four Regional MPAProjects led by the Joint Nature Conser-vation Committee and Natural England.

Under the Act, an appropriate authoritymay have regard to economic or socialfactors in considering whether it is desir-able to designate an area. To assist Defra

and the statutory agencies in developingguidance on socio-economic considera-tions, the study reviewed a number ofinternational examples of MPA planningalongside a wider review of how socio-economic factors have been taken intoaccount in non-MPA planning initiatives.

Dr Stephen Hull, Director ABPmer, said“International examples of MPA initiativeshave highlighted the importance of takingaccount of socio-economic factors in net-work design, but this is still very much adeveloping field. While many of these ini-tiatives have largely focused on the eco-nomic costs of designation, the Marineand Coastal Access Act also requires deci-sion-makers to take account of socialimpacts. Our research has shown thatthere is no ‘silver bullet’ for addressing

socio-economic factors. Rather, a range oftools, techniques and approaches may berequired including cost benefit analysis,social impact assessment and multi-criteriaanalysis as part of a clear and transparentprocess which engages relevant socio-eco-nomic interests”.

New study on marine protected area planning published

Portsmouth Commercial Port has enjoyed abusy 2009 despite the tough economic con-ditions, reporting an impressive three per centyear on year growth in through fare in 2009across passengers, vehicles and freight. ThePort enters 2010 with passenger numbers stillincreasing year on year, and with theprospects of new services commencing.

Across 2009, the business saw a four percent increase in private vehicles passingthrough, and a two per cent increase inpassenger numbers. The summer monthssaw the greatest increases in passengervehicles and numbers as UK residentsfavoured trips to France and Spain, overlong haul travel. Over the same time peri-od, freight traffic also saw an increase, witha 0.2 per cent increase in freight volume

passing through the Port. Between Januaryand December 2009, the Port handled264,000 freight units and 2,209,000 pas-sengers, travelling in 683,400 vehicles.

Port Manager, Martin Putman, commented:“We have enjoyed constant growththroughout the year, seeing a higher vol-ume of traffic through the Port than in2008. We experienced fluctuating increasesin freight traffic throughout the year,although the latter months showed a steadyincrease.

“With additional Brittany Ferries services toCherbourg and Santander due to com-mence in March, we are looking forward towelcoming even more passengers thisyear”, he concluded.

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PPoorrttssmmoouutthh CCoommmmeerrcciiaall PPoorrtt hhaass aannnnoouunncceedd aaddddiittiioonnaall ffeerrrryy sseerrvviicceess ppllaannnneedd ffoorr tthhiiss yyeeaarr..

Sea Passenger Statistics2009 publishedThe Department for Transport has pub-lished the UK international and domesticshort sea passenger statistics for 2009.

TThhee ssttaattiissttiiccss rreeppoorrtt tthhaatt dduurriinngg 22000099::

• There were 21.6 million internationalshort sea passenger journeys to andfrom the UK, 5 per cent lower than in2008.

• Dover, the largest UK ferry port, han-dled 13.1 million journeys (5 per centlower than in 2008). There were a totalof 2.1 million passengers at Portsmouth(2 per cent higher) and 1.9 million atHolyhead (3 per cent lower). For com-parison there were also 17 million pas-senger journeys through the ChannelTunnel (4 per cent lower than 2008).

• There were 3.4 million domestic pas-senger journeys (passengers travellingbetween mainland Great Britain andNorthern Ireland, the Isle of Man, theChannel Islands and Orkney &Shetland), almost identical to the 2008figure.

Over the period 1999-2009:• International short sea passenger jour-

neys to and from the UK fell by 9.8million (a drop of 31 per cent) andjourneys through Dover fell by 5.3 mil-lion (a drop of 29 per cent). ChannelTunnel passenger numbers decreasedby 1.5 million (a drop of 8 per cent).

• Domestic sea passengers decreased by0.74 million (a drop of 18 per cent).

AABBPPmmeerr llooookkeedd aatt ssoocciiaall--eeccoonnoommiicc ffaaccttoorrss iinntthhee ppllaannnniinngg ooff MMPPAA nneettwwoorrkkss iinn tthheeiirr ssttuuddyy..


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MCA outlines changes to expired pyrotechnics collectionThe Maritime and Coastguard Agency haveoutlined changes in time expired pyrotech-nics collection.

The MCA, with the assistance of theDepartment for Transport, will continue toaccept Time Expired Pyrotechnics (TEPs)from the public; however the collection anddisposal service will no longer be undertak-en by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) witheffect from the 31 March 2010 because oftheir other operational pressures.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency hasawarded a new contract to undertake thecollection and disposal of TEPs from itspremises. The new contracted service willbe phased in from December 2009 withRamora UK Ltd of Portsmouth.

Following recent changes of legislation withregard to the storage and transportation ofexplosives, MCA premises now require tobe brought into line with those changes.This will mean that the number of siteswhich will be able to accept TEPs will be

significantly reduced. The Agency plan toachieve this by concentrating availableresources on 18 sites evenly spaced acrossthe country.

Analysis of the quantities of TEPs depositedwith the MCA indicate that up to 70% ofitems find their way to the vicinity of the 18proposed sites which will accept TEPs.

The following sites have therefore beenidentified:

MMaarriittiimmee RReessccuuee CCoo--oorrddiinnaattiioonn CCeennttrreess aatt::

• Shetland• Stornoway• Belfast• Liverpool• Holyhead• Milford• Falmouth• Brixham• Solent• Dover• Thames

• Humber• Forth• Inverness Sector Base• North Norfolk Sector Base• Cruden Bay Coastguard Rescue

Office • Girvan Coastguard Rescue Office

and• A location at Poole

Douglas MacDonald, Head of Environment &Emergency Response Standards said, “These18 locations, spaced evenly across the coun-try have been chosen because we believe thatthey will meet the majority of the publicdemand and are reasonably accessible.”

“Unfortunately not all sites are manned 24hours, but full details of locations, contactdetails and opening times will be posted onour web site www.mcga.gov.uk as the newservice is rolled out.

“We are also asking the public not to takeTEPS to police stations as they have nostorage facilities for these items.”


Spring SeminarSpring Seminar

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UKHMA Spring Seminar reportOnce more, a packed house of over120 delegates and participants enjoyeda full day of topical presentations anddiscussions on a range of subjects atthe UKHMA Spring Seminar in Londonon 10 March.

Supported by sponsors and a trade exhibi-tion that featured over twenty-fiveCommercial Members, the event returnedto its familiar format with the cavernousCarisbrooke Hall in the Victory ServicesClub accommodating the conferenceprogramme and the El Alamein Roomdisplaying both table-top and pop-upexhibits and demonstrations.

The programme drew speakers fromgovernment agencies, public and privateorganisations, and commercial consultan-cies and businesses in an diverse range ofsubjects that seemed to provide somethingfor everyone.

Qualifications and TrainingUpdateIn opening proceedings, UKHMA President,Kevin Richardson took the opportunity toupdate all those present on the latest devel-opments relating to Harbour Masters' quali-fications and training, most particularly thedevelopment of the Certificate ofCompetency (this presentation may beviewed on the 'open' area of the UKHMA'swebsite www.ukhma.org). An update on thedeveloping issues regarding the Associa-tion's online Continuous ProfessionalDevelopment (CPD) scheme was providedby CPD Auditor, Gary Wilson (monitor thewebsite's News area for breaking news onthis important issue).

The first presentation of the main morningsession "CMAL and Scottish Lifeline FerryServices" offered a comprehensive insightinto the infrastructure necessary for vitalferry services serving the West coast of

Scotland and the Clyde Estuary. Presentedby Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd directorof Harbours and Piers, Lorna Spencer, thepresentation described the reorganisationof Caledonian MacBrayne and the forma-tion of CMAL to "provide, safeguard anddevelop ferries and harbours" and how thecompany planned to meet the challengesof asset provision for lifeline ferry services.Supported by many photos of the regionsand ports served by CMAL, Lorna also indi-cated how the Scottish Government's Ferriesreview would impact on the vital servicesoffered to many remote communities andusers in and around Scotland.

Introduction to the MMODue to an appointment to give a briefing togovernment departments later in the morn-ing, the programme was modified to letChris Parry, Chair of the new MarineManagement Organisation (MMO) providea most welcome, if brief, introduction to theworkings of the new agency. Emphasisingthat the MMO offered an exciting future forintegrated marine management in England

and Wales, he notedthat the governmenthad a vision of the neworganisation as "a pro-fessional and proactivemarine manager, trust-ed by all stakeholdersto make a unique con-tribution to the sustain-able development ofthe marine area.

It will make decisionson the majority ofmarine developments

and, where it is not the decision makingbody, it will be a key advisor on marineissues, bringing consistency to the decisionmaking process." He further explainedMMO's proposed marine planning systemand outlined the marine licencing schemethat included access to a wider range ofenforcement tools than at present.

Underkeel Clearance andDredgingA familiar face to the UKHMA, JonathonPearce, Business Development Manager of OMC International (Europe) Ltd, painted afamiliar scene: vessel sizes growing, portsbeing required to maximise productivity andfears that the existing methods of managingunderkeel clearances were becoming out-dated. Static Underkeel Clearance limitsthat were once acceptable may now bemarginal, and at times even non-existent,he warned to a most attentive audience. Hedeveloped the theme to explain how newerUKM methods, such as Dynamic UnderkeelClearance, may enhance safety and couldalso improve productivity, economic bene-fits and reduce capital dredging costs.

Continuing the theme of determination ofcritical dredging requirements, MontySmedley, Senior Consultant, ABPmer, out-lined the development of the MaintenanceDredge Protocol (MDP) and expandedtheme to include associated issues linked tothe Water Framework Directive. The MDP isintended to provide dredge operators (andregulators) with assistance in gainingapproval to carry out maintenance dredg-ing where these activities may affect Natura2000 European sites, he explained.

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However, there is a responsibility forStatutory Harbour, Port or Navigationauthority (with active assistance from otherdredge operators) to complete the BaselineDocument and Monty explained with prac-tical examples, how this may be achieved.He warned that it was still early days bothfor MDP and WFD assessments and that itwas currently a case of 'learning by doing'.

Ship-to-Ship TransferBy his own admission, Graeme Proctor,Counter Pollution Mariner at the Maritime &Coastguard Agency, admitted that the origi-nal draft Ship-to-Ship Transfer Regulations in2008 had thrown up some surprising prob-lems for port authorities. A second consulta-tion with a new set of draft proposals wascurrently underway which, he hoped, wouldalleviate many of the areas of previous con-cern, particularly where they affected bunker-ing, lightening operations and the issue of thenew 'oil transfer licence'. Regrettably, the sub-sequent Question and Answer session indi-cated that there were still areas of concern,most notably with unscheduled cargo trans-fers and also transfers of small cargoesbetween ships alongside.

The afternoon session commenced with abright and thought-provoking trilogy of pre-sentations from Capt Mike Evans, Inspector

of Marine Accidents, Marine AccidentInvestigation Branch (MAIB); Capt MikeNicholson, Harbour Master Port of Tyne;and, Capt Cliff Roberts, OperationsManager, James Fisher & Sons plc. Underthe theme of 'Bridge Team Management',the three presentations offered three differ-ent perspectives (from the incident inspec-tor, the harbour master and the ship owner)on the issues facing vessel transits in portsand therefore a forthright yet balancedappraisal of a fundamental issue of safetyin ports and port approaches.

The presentation was extremely timely in thelight of the report into the Valermossa inci-dent (http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/2009/vallermosa.cfm)which highlighted the shortfalls in the prac-tices of passage planning and bridge teammanagement". If an overall conclusioncould be drawn from the presentations, itwas that poor communication was the com-mon denominator in most incidents

Positive and Negative Tidal SurgesThe effects of climate change seem to beblamed for most instances of extremeweather these days but, as Dr DanielAdamson, Research Meteorologist at

MeteoGroup UK explained, these are notjust phenomena of the current age, but canbe tracked back many hundreds of years.Using reconstructions of weather patterns,he graphically displayed that many exam-ples of positive and negative tidal surgeswere the result of North Atlantic weathersystems of predictable and known type,often following similar tracks and atmos-pheric pressure characteristics.

Although modern forecasting and model-ling techniques had led to better warningsof such surges he warned that present-dayclimate change would ultimately have adetrimental effect leading to increasedstorminess around UK which in turn wouldlead to an increased chance of storm surges coinciding with Spring tides.Theday's proceedings concluded with a round-up of the salient points of each presentationby the UKHMA President.

The Autumn 2010 Seminar will be held atthe Victory Services Club, London, on 3November. All Members will be advised ofthe programme and booking arrangementsin due course. Non-Members should moni-tor wwwwww..uukkhhmmaa..oorrgg for Seminar updates.

9

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10

Boaters are being urged to sign up for afree service which could potentially savetheir life after a recent incident where aboat became jammed against a bridge onthe fast-flowing River Nene.

The incident, on the River Nene atIrthlingborough, has prompted theEnvironment Agency to appeal to boatowners to sign up to receive Strong StreamAdvice (SSA).

Strong Stream Advice is sent to registeredboaters when high water levels and fastflow rates occur after heavy rain. This couldpose a risk to craft using EnvironmentAgency navigations.

Heavy rain – or melting snow - can lead toan increase in water level and reduceheadroom under bridges and other struc-tures. The dangers of this were dramaticallyhighlighted on 17 January when a 65ft nar-row boat became trapped across a bridgeon the River Nene.

It took Environment Agency OperationsDelivery staff and several fire crews, includinga specialist water rescue team, more thanthree hours to turn the boat to enable it topass safely under the bridge. At one stage,an attempt to winch it free had to be aban-doned because the force of the water againstthe craft and its position against the bridgemeant it was in danger of tipping over.

Jan Cebula, of Operations Delivery, helpedfree the stricken boat. He said: “As the boaterapproached the bridge, he realised howstrong the current was and decided to try andturn back to his original mooring point. Thismeant turning against the flow.

This was a bad mistake because as soon asthe boat’s front end moved off line of theflow, the water caught the boat broadside andswept it up tight against the bridge arches.

“The high water flow against the side of theboat pinned it firmly in this position leavingthe boater trapped on his boat in the mid-dle of a river in spate with a high potentialfor the boat to be ‘rolled’ by the current.This was a life-threatening situation for thetrapped boater.”

Irven Forbes, Area Waterways Manager atthe Environment Agency, added: “Thankfully,no one was hurt in this incident but it couldso easily have ended in tragedy.

“The Environment Agency had issuedStrong Stream Advice warning boatersagainst navigating on the River Nene when

this incident took place but, for one reasonor another, it was not heeded.

“It is vital people know the state of the riverbefore boating – it could make the differ-ence between life and death. Therefore, weare appealing to all boaters registered withthe Environment Agency to ensure they signup to receive Strong Stream Advice from usand then listen to the advice we give.”

The SSA service sends messages to mobilephones and landlines at any time of theday or night. Boaters can also sign up toreceive texts or email alerts.

For more information or to sign up for SSAmessages, please contact:

Mandy DoolanEnvironment AgencyWaterside HouseWaterside NorthLincolnLN2 5HAor email: mmaannddyy..ddoooollaann@@eennvviirroonn--mmeenntt--aaggeennccyy..ggoovv..uukk

Alternatively, call the SSA line for updates atany time. DDiiaall 00884455 998888 11118888 andchoose option one, listen to the pre-record-ed information, followed by one of thesequick-dial codes:

Nene 032112 Great Ouse 033211 Ancholme 031212

BBooaatteerrss uurrggeedd ttoo ttaakkee hheeeedd ooff nneeww sseerrvviiccee

TThhee RRiivveerr NNeennee iinncciiddeenntt ccoouulldd hhaavvee eennddeedd iinn ttrraaggeeddyy -- SSSSAA aaddvviiccee wwaass nnoott hheeeeddeedd tthhiiss ttiimmee..

AAnnootthheerr pprreevviioouuss iinncciiddeenntt oonn tthhee NNeennee dduuee ttoo ssuuddddeenn cchhaannggiinngg rriivveerr ccoonnddiittiioonnss..

FeatureFeature


A River Medway survey conducted by EmuLimited, the Hampshire-based marinedevelopment, research and planning com-pany, has taken place to help ensure safepassage for the ever increasing numbers ofLNG tankers.

LNG imports for the UK show a significantclimb this year with the prediction that 80% ofthe UK's gas supply will be imported by 2020.

Predicted demand for LNG means that thecurrent tanker fleet, estimated as 230worldwide requires expansion and recentlysome 50 new vessels have been builtincluding some of the world's largest, with acapacity of 260,000 cubic metres.Increased traffic and tanker size has wideimplications for design of port installations,traffic management and berthing, particu-larly when facilities are being constructed orexpanded to meet the growing traffic.

The recent commission for Emu is anOceanographic Field Survey in the RiverMedway, Isle of Grain UK, adjacent to theproposed new "No. 8" Jetty for NationalGrid Grain LNG Ltd.

The challenge for the Emu Survey team wasto provide precise definitions of currentspeeds and directions around the jetty indifferent tidal states to augment the admi-ralty chart information, as used for safetypurposes when berthing large LNG tankersand other merchant vessels.

Independent studies were carried out takingtidal current measurements in spot locations,including tidal diamonds. The data was thencompared with that collected by Emu in July2007 at Jetty No. 10 during a survey for thePeel Ports Group. The projects generated asound knowledge base in relation to an areaof very complex tidal conditions.

Huw Powell, Operations Director at EmuLimited explained, "Emu's bespoke softwarewas tailored in-house especially for this sur-vey, enabling us to provide a unique insightinto water levels and velocities at the client'slocation. Having reviewed the data we areconfident that our outputs added significantvalue to the design process where robustand accurate data was a key requirement." Currently Emu has four survey vessels up to35m in length and provide survey and con-

sultancy support to organisations in the UKand worldwide involved with renewables,oil & gas, marine aggregates and environ-mental management.

11

SSuurrvveeyy hheellppss ttoo eennssuurree ssaaffeerr ppaassssaaggee ffoorr LLNNGG

EEmmuu’’ss SSuurrffaaccee MMaarrkkeerr BBuuooyy mmoonniittoorriinngg ccuurrrreennttssppeeeeddss aanndd ddiirreeccttiioonn..

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SURVEY SUPPORT?In Fathoms’ last annual customer satisfaction survey 85% of its clients stated that

Fathoms’ planning and flexibility was superior to that of its competitors. Just one of

the reasons why Fathoms is regularly chosen as the first ‘Port-of-Call’ by Harbour

Masters throughout the UK.

The full customer survey can be downloaded from the downloads page of our website: www.fathoms.co.ukTo discuss your particular requirements please ring 01458 251140 or email: [email protected]


Hydrosphere have announced the introduc-tion of two new innovative solar poweredlanterns; the Carmanah M650 and theVega VBL–67. Hydrosphere’s ManagingDirector, Andy Reid said, “I am so confidentin the potential of the new our CarmanahM650 and Vega VLB67 models that.

Following the exceptional response to theirfirst showing at the UKHMA AutumnSeminar, we have re-appointed RobinHamilton-Jones to assist with touring the UKand Ireland to give technical and salesadvice on these exciting new products”.

The Carmanah M650 is an advanced, selfcontained, high performance, low mainte-nance and easy to install solar lantern andis a direct replacement for the Model 601. Ithas a visible range of 1 to 3 miles in theUK, depending on the flash character cho-sen. It now incorporates a replaceable andrecyclable battery, a feature which reducesits overall cost whilst extending its expectedworking life to over 10 years.

The lantern uses the latest generation ofLED’s, effective for up to 3 nautical miles andthe innovative ‘intelligence deployment loca-tion settings’ which optimises performanceand protects against improper configuration.

“With over 10,000 Carmanah self-con-tained solar lanterns now sold byHydrosphere in the UK and Ireland, andover 350,000 in operation worldwide, we

are confident that the new design is destinedto become our biggest selling navigationlight”, continued Mr Reid.

Jeff Gibson, a Director of Hydrosphere, isequally excited about the new Vega VLB67,which he views as a huge step forward inthe development of self-contained solarpowered lanterns. “With Vega’s highly effi-cient optics and electronics giving a rangeof up to 4 nautical miles even in the UK,and it’s highly competitive price, this lanternsets new standards”.

The use of highly efficient optics and elec-tronics has resulted in high-energy efficiencyand reduces the solar panel and batteryrequirements. The vertical divergence of thelens at 50% of peak intensity is better than 7degrees.

The VLB-67 has a replaceable battery, andtherefore has an expected life in excess of10 years. Both the Carmanah M650 andthe Vega VBL–67 lanterns are suitable for allnavigational sites and sit well in theHydrosphere product range as a ‘greenerproduct’ development.

SSoollaarr ppoowweerreedd llaammppss lliigghhtt tthhee wwaayy iinn nnaavviiggaattiioonn

12

CCaarrmmaannaahh MM665500 aanndd VVeeggaa VVBBLL––6677 llaanntteerrnnss..

Product NewsProduct News

Expect to see big changes to the Fishing Show in 2010.

QD Events are the new organisers and we’re committed to building the show in partnership with the industry.

� New exhibitors including boat builders, navigation systems, fittings and much more

� Keynote Talks from prominent activists on the hot topics affecting your industry � International exhibiting groups

��Fundraising Dinner Dance on Friday 21st May � Accommodation packages starting at £40pp/pn

Organised by QD Events Limited SECC Glasgow G3 8YW www.qdevents.co.uk Tel: 0141 576 3896 Fax: 0141 204 0077www.fishingexpo.co.uk Email: [email protected]

Keep up to date with what’s new & register for free at www.fishingexpo.co.uk

It’s a new dawn for Fishing 2OIO


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