MILFORD HAVEN PORT AUTHORITY CELEBRATES

One of the most advanced pilot boats to work the UK’s shipping channels has been officially named today (26th May 2006) in Wales.

The futuristic £1m Skomer has been commissioned by Milford Haven Port Authority and incorporates leading-edge design features to make her stronger and swifter than her predecessors.

She was named by Joan Clarke, wife of the Port Authority chairman Bob Clarke, at an official celebration on the banks of the Haven at Pembroke Port, the location of the boatyard where she has been built over the past year.

The investment in the new state-of-the-art boat reaffirms the Port Authority’s priorities of safety and customer service, and has been made in readiness for the arrival of the first LNG ships in the Haven towards the end of 2007.

The 19-metre Skomer has been designed by leading British designer Camarc Ltd using its proven, innovative double chine hull shape to be fast and nimble, and has been built in Pembroke Dock by Mustang Marine (Wales) Ltd.

Skomer is the first pilot vessel to be commissioned by the Authority since Robert Hastie - also designed by Camarc Ltd - five years ago, which itself set new standards of design and efficiency. The 10-person, 50 tonne vessel is designed to have a minimum service life of 15 years, and will be used in heavy weather under very severe conditions.

Typically operating in swells of up to five metres with significant wave height, Skomer’s structure is likely to be subjected to 1,000 vessel boarding impacts each year of its life. With a similar hull design to Robert Hastie, Skomer has been constructed using steel only 4mm thick so that she is strong and light.

She has advanced engines and control systems, and the wheel house console and engine room have been ergonomically designed for ease of operations and maintenance. The aluminum wheelhouse is mounted on special rubber mountings to reduce sound and vibrations, and is easily demountable from the hull, again to make access to the engines easy.

Skomer features a greatly improved wheelhouse with good all round visibility, and a pioneering man-overboard emergency system. With Skomer operating off the UK’s only truly coastal national park, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, marine environmental issues have been acknowledged with the incorporation of an environmentally-friendly holding tank for waste water, eliminating the need to dispose of waste from the toilet and shower at sea. The vessel also benefits from a much higher standard of accommodation than is usually found on a work boat. Internal areas, such as the saloon and fore-cabin, incorporate teak decking and a professionally developed colour scheme, and air conditioning is fitted throughout.

The Port Authority’s Harbourmaster, Mark Andrews, said the technology incorporated into Skomer was fit for purpose.

“As a Port Authority, we have always prided ourselves on our commitment to safety and quality, and it was important to us that, with the arrival of LNG vessels here next year, we had the most advanced pilot boat to help handle them safely and efficiently,” he said.

“We certainly believe we have the best vessel available for the job, and look forward to Skomer joining our other pilot boats as a new era dawns in the development of Milford Haven as the UK’s leading energy port.”