Agenda item

To consider a report by the Weymouth Harbour Master.

The Committee considered a report outlining the review of harbour pilotage that was undertaken by consultant Marico Marine and based on an earlier review in 2014.  This resulted in a number of findings in relation to the operational challenges in continuing a pilotage service including:-

· The economic feasibility  of employing a full time pilot, meaning that the Harbour Authority is reliant on contracted personnel who require considerable notice periods to ensure availability.
· The fall in commercial traffic levels resulting in the infrequency of vessels requiring pilots.
· The lack of economic feasibility to maintain the required infrastructure.
· There was insufficient demand to enable pilots to maintain their skills and an inability to train new pilots to the required standard.
· The Harbour Authority no longer employs any officers suitably qualified to train or assess new pilots.

·  The level of pilotage would generate sufficient revenue to cover any ongoing costs of pilotage.

The review further concluded that the removal of pilotage services would not have undue impact or significantly affect a low level of risk.

A number of improvement measures were identified following this review that would improve the safety for all vessels transiting through the harbour to be implemented in 2022 including:-

· AIS monitoring
· installation of CCTV covering Weymouth Bay and harbour and channel entrances – 25 June 2022
· a weather station at the harbour entrance, providing tidal information, wind speed and direction, pressure and temperature – 25 July 2022
· updated digital and aerial VHF equipment – 16 June 2022
· new internationally recognised harbour entry light system – end June 2022

·  recruitment of 2 Assistant Harbour Masters to increase the
operational management coverage of the Harbour

·  use of the Harbour Revision Order to formulate General Directions, which would become enforceable once pilotage ceased.

The navigational risk assessment would be kept under review, including the need for pilotage should the traffic profile of the harbour change in future.

The Harbour would remain a Statutory Harbour Authority with powers of directions.

Following the presentation, an Independent Member suggested that it would be worthwhile to understand the cost and time implication associated with revert back to a Competent Harbour Authority if the harbour was required to operate differently in future

The Weymouth Harbour Master stated that the financial implications in the report contained the costs associated with the Competent Harbour Authority status, however, the recruitment and training costs associated with of pilotage were harder to quantify.

The Chairman highlighted that the Statutory Harbour Authority status would allow vessels carrying up to 70 passengers to enter the harbour (rather than 12 for a Competent Harbour Authority) meaning that cruise ship tender operations could come directly into Weymouth from ships located in the bay.

Members were supportive of the outcome of the review and all the proposals outlined in the report,

Proposed by Cllr David Gray, seconded by Cllr Sarah Williams.

Decision: Considering the current and expected future traffic profile of Weymouth Harbour and the result of the formal navigation risk assessment, the following actions be approved:

1. Commence the process of removing the Harbour Authority’s Pilotage
functions, as provided for under The Marine Navigation Act 2013;

2. Before the Pilotage service is removed, fully review and, if possible,
enhance relevant existing control measures, in particular:

a) Make use of the 2021 HRO to issue General Directions which will become enforceable as soon as pilotage ceases.

b) Review the Harbour’s Local Traffic Service provision.