Sea Haven makes her home in Aberdeen
New pilot vessel’s arrival part of north-east port’s growth strategy
Published:
ABERDEEN harbour’s £800,000 new pilot vessel has arrived in her home port to take up a range of duties as part of a strategy to build on record business.
The 50ft Sea Haven, built by Pembroke-based Mustang Marine (Wales), has pilotage and general-purpose roles.
She is also designed for hydrographic surveys and can be used as a harbourmaster’s launch.
Last month, Aberdeen Harbour Board revealed increased profits and record turnover for 2007 after levels of cargo and shipping at the port hit a new high.
Annual turnover in 2007 climbed to a new high of £20.9million, from the previous year’s £20.1million, while pre-tax profits climbed to £9.5million from £9.03million in 2006.
All profits are re-invested in the development and maintenance of the harbour, where the board has undertaken projects totalling more than £200million in recent decades.
Welcoming the new vessel, operations director and harbourmaster Ray Shaw said: “In combination with other projects, the Sea Haven will make an important contribution to the port’s capabilities in handling increased traffic above the current record levels, and to the efficiency of operations.”
The Sea Haven replaces a boat used since 1987 and joins a vessel of similar design, Sea Shepherd, which has operated at the port since 2004.
