Harbours Advisory Committee

29 June 2026

Marine Safety Management System Report

For Review and Consultation

Cabinet Member: Click or tap to enter a date.

Cllr J Andrews, Place Services

Local Councillor(s): All Councillors

Senior Leadership Team:

J Britton - Executive Director, Regeneration, Infrastructure and Growth

Report author and job title: Ed Carter – Dorset Council Harbours Manager & Weymouth Harbour Master

Email: ed.carter@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Statutory Authority: Weymouth Harbour Revision Order 2021 and the Lyme Regis, Bridport (West Bay), and Weymouth Harbour Revision Order 2026

Report status: Public Choose an item.

Executive summary

1.1	This report presents the updated Marine Safety Management Systems (MSMS) and associated Operational Information for Dorset Council’s three statutory harbours: Bridport (West Bay), Lyme Regis, and Weymouth. The MSMS documents for all three harbours have recently been comprehensively reviewed, restructured and updated to align with the Port and Marine Facilities Safety Code (PMSC), as revised in April 2025.

The revised MSMS format follows the structure and terminology of the current PMSC and its Guide to Good Practice, ensuring clear alignment between national requirements and local governance, policy, risk management and operational control. The documents set out how Dorset Council, as Statutory Harbour Authority, discharges its duties to ensure safe navigation, protect the environment and manage marine operations in a proportionate, risk‑based and transparent manner.

Recommendation(s)

2.1	That the members of the Harbours Advisory Committee note the re-structuring of the Marine Safety Management Systems.

Reason for the recommendation(s)

3.1	The Marine Safety Management Systems for Bridport (West Bay), Lyme Regis, and Weymouth have recently been re‑structured to align with the revised Port and Marine Facilities Safety Code (April 2025), improving clarity, consistency and transparency while maintaining a risk‑based approach to marine safety.

Presenting the updated MSMS documents to the Harbours Advisory Committee provides Members with visibility of how Dorset Council continues to discharge its statutory harbour authority duties and demonstrate ongoing compliance with national marine safety standards.

4.	The report

4.1	Dorset Council, as Statutory Harbour Authority for Bridport (West Bay), Lyme Regis, and Weymouth is required to operate and maintain effective MSMS in accordance with the PMSC. The MSMS provides the formal framework through which marine safety is governed, risks are identified and managed, statutory powers are exercised, and assurance is provided to the Duty Holder.

4.2	The Marine Safety Management Systems for all three harbours have recently been re‑structured and updated to align with the revised PMSC, issued in April 2025. This work has focused on formatting, structure and clarity rather than introducing fundamental changes to how marine safety is managed operationally. The revised documents now mirror the structure and terminology of the Code, making the relationship between national requirements and local arrangements clearer and more transparent.

4.3	Although the documents are port‑specific, the re‑structuring has been undertaken on a consistent cross‑harbour basis. This ensures that Dorset Council applies a coherent and uniform approach to marine safety governance, risk management, assurance and reporting, while still allowing each harbour’s MSMS to reflect its individual operational characteristics, scale and activity profile.

4.4	Each MSMS clearly sets out the governance arrangements required by the PMSC, including the identification of the Duty Holder, the appointment and role of the Designated Person, and the responsibilities of the Harbour Master. The documents describe how marine safety accountability is maintained within Dorset Council’s wider governance framework, including the role of the Harbours Advisory Committee.

4.5	The MSMS documents also consolidate and clearly reference the statutory powers and duties available to the Harbour Authority, including local legislation, Harbour Revision Orders, Directions and byelaws. This ensures that decisions relating to navigation safety, enforcement, emergency response and conservancy are demonstrably grounded in appropriate legal authority and applied in a proportionate, risk‑based manner.

4.6	A key element of the MSMS is the formal risk assessment process. The revised documents describe how hazards are identified, evaluated and controlled through formal safety assessments, dynamic risk assessment and continuous review. Risk management is linked directly to operational controls, incident reporting, emergency planning and the application of local Directions, ensuring that marine safety arrangements remain live, responsive and proportionate.

4.7	The structure of the MSMS clearly distinguishes between the core management system and supporting freestanding and second‑tier plans, such as Oil Spill Contingency Plans, Emergency Plans, Port Waste Management Plans, Pilotage Directions and conservancy inspection regimes. This makes it easier for officers, auditors and stakeholders to understand how supporting plans fit within the wider safety management framework.

4.8	The re‑structured MSMS document for Bridport (West Bay) harbour was reviewed during the recent Port Marine Safety Code audit, where it was assessed directly against the revised Code. The audit confirmed that the MSMS was fully compliant with the PMSC, providing independent assurance that the revised structure and content meet national expectations. The Lyme Regis and Weymouth MSMS documents have been updated on the same basis.

4.9	The Marine Safety Management Systems are subject to ongoing review and assurance, including annual internal review, independent audit by the Designated Person, regular reporting to the Duty Holder, and statutory three‑yearly compliance submissions to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The re‑structuring of the MSMS supports these processes by improving clarity, auditability and transparency.

4.10	Due to the large file sizes of the documents, links to all three MSMS are provided here:

Bridport (West Bay) Harbour MSMS & Operational Information 2026

Lyme Regis Harbour MSMS & Operational Information 2026

Weymouth Harbour MSMS & Operational Information 2026

Alternative options considered

5.1	None.

Legal considerations

6.1	Dorset Council is the Statutory Harbour Authority for Bridport (West Bay), Lyme Regis and Weymouth, and is legally required to operate in accordance with the Port and Marine Facilities Safety Code. Maintaining an up‑to‑date Marine Safety Management System is a key mechanism for demonstrating compliance with the Code and for evidencing the proper discharge of the Harbour Authority’s statutory duties.

The re‑structuring of the Marine Safety Management Systems aligns the documentation more closely with the revised PMSC (April 2025) and does not introduce new legal powers or obligations. Instead, it improves clarity, transparency and auditability, thereby strengthening the Council’s ability to demonstrate due diligence and compliance with existing legal and regulatory requirements.

7.	Financial implications

7.1	There are no new financial implications arising from the re‑structuring of the Marine Safety Management Systems for Bridport (West Bay), Lyme Regis and Weymouth. The work relates to the re‑formatting and alignment of existing documentation with the revised PMSC and does not introduce new operational requirements, staffing arrangements or capital expenditure.

All marine safety, compliance, audit and assurance activities associated with the MSMS are already part of Dorset Council’s statutory harbour authority functions and will continue to be delivered within existing budgets and resources.

8.	Natural environment, climate & ecology implications

8.1	There are no direct climate, ecological or environmental impacts arising from the re‑structuring of the Marine Safety Management Systems, as the changes relate to documentation format and alignment with the revised Port and Marine Facilities Safety Code rather than to operational activity.

Effective and up‑to‑date Marine Safety Management Systems support the Harbour Authority’s wider environmental and conservancy duties, including pollution prevention, safe navigation, protection of sensitive coastal areas and effective emergency response. The MSMS framework therefore continues to contribute positively to sustainable harbour management and aligns with Dorset Council’s broader objectives in relation to the Natural Environment, Climate and Ecology Strategy, without introducing additional impacts.

9.	Well-being and health implications

9.1	There are no direct well‑being or public health implications arising from the re‑structuring of the Marine Safety Management Systems, as the changes relate to documentation structure and alignment with the revised Port and Marine Facilities Safety Code rather than to operational activity.

Effective and clearly documented Marine Safety Management Systems support the ongoing health, safety and well‑being of harbour users, visitors, commercial operators and harbour staff by providing robust arrangements for safe navigation, risk management, incident response and emergency preparedness across all three harbours.

10.

Other implications

10.1	None

11.

Risk implications

11.1	HAVING CONSIDERED: the risks associated with this decision; the level of risk has been identified as:

Current Risk: Low

Residual Risk:Low

12.

Equalities

12.1	There are no equalities impact issues resulting from the subject of this report.

13.

Appendices

13.1	None.

Due to the large file sizes of the documents, links to all three MSMS are provided here:

Bridport (West Bay) Harbour MSMS & Operational Information 2026

Lyme Regis Harbour MSMS & Operational Information 2026

Weymouth Harbour MSMS & Operational Information 2026

14.

Background papers

14.1	None.

15.	Report sign-off

15.1	This report has been through the internal report clearance process and has been signed off by the Director for Legal and Democratic (Monitoring Officer), the Executive Director for Corporate Development (Section 151 Officer) and the appropriate Portfolio Holder(s).