New workboat is sound move for harbour commissioners

Harbour commissioners in Plymouth have agreed a major new contract for a multi-purpose workboat at Cattewater.

Cattewater Harbour Commissioners have ordered the bespoke 14m craft to replace an ageing vessel for a variety of tasks, including mooring work, salvage work, oil pollution incidents, dive and dredging support, buoy maintenance and towage.

They chose Meercat Workboats, of Portchester, Hampshire, to build the vessel after opening up the tender process Europe wide.

Meercat is on target to complete the 14m by 5m workboat for the harbour authority’s fleet in mid-November.

Harbour Master Capt Tim Charlesworth will use the multi-purpose vessel on a stretch of water known as the Cattewater within the city’s wider port and harbour area.

Capt Charlesworth, who is also Cattewater Harbour Commissioners chief executive, said: "The excellent reputation and quality of the Meercat made it an obvious choice when we came to consider the tenders.

"It is a significant upgrade and improvement on its predecessor. It will mean we can work more quickly and efficiently, and provide a high class of service."

The workboat is the 24th to be built by Meercat and the fourth since the company was acquired by Britain’s largest independent ship repairer Burgess Marine last September. Burgess Marine also has a facility on the Wolseley Trust Business Park in Plymouth.

James Lewis, operations director at Meercat, said: "This new order further demonstrates the successful track record we have built up for Meercat.

"With the tender open across Europe it was gratifying to see the Cattewater Harbour Commissioners select a company just down the South coast.

"It is further recognition of the excellence of design, engineering, manufacturing and boatbuilding we still have in this country."

Multi-purpose Meercats are easily transportable around the country by road, including for use on the coast, ports, harbours, lakes and watercourses inland.

The Cattewater is a harbour at the entrance to the River Plym, within the larger Plymouth harbour and port area. It is near to Plymouth dockyard and the city’s naval base.

The MoD is the primary harbour authority while Cattewater Harbour Commissioners is a separate statutory authority which maintains safe navigation for all types of commercial and leisure craft.

It is also the civil pilotage authority for the entire civil Port of Plymouth.

The procurement process complied with relevant EU regulations.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.