PRESENT: Brian Murphy HM, Poole Harbour Commissioners Poole Harbour Commissioners. North Haven Yacht Club/PHC Lawrie Thornton-Grimes Poole Yacht Club

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1 MINUTES OF THE HARBOUR SAFETY MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 24 TH APRIL 2013 AT 1400 HOURS IN THE BOARD ROOM OF THE HARBOUR OFFICE OF POOLE HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Brian Murphy HM, Poole Harbour Commissioners Richard Lacey Chairman, Poole Harbour Commissioners Malcolm Bradshaw HCO, Poole Harbour Commissioners Richard Dixon Poole Harbour Commissioners Bruce Lack Poole Harbour Commissioners Jacky Hardy North Haven Yacht Club/PHC Lawrie Thornton-Grimes Poole Yacht Club John Yonwin Poole Yacht Club Bill Lauste Parkstone Yacht Club Paul Taylor RNLI Poole Life Boat Sally Davis Royal Motor Yacht Club/PYA Paul Harris Royal Motor Yacht Club James Sydenham Salterns Marina Jo Bussell Brittany Ferries Peter Stanaway Rockley Cruising Club Ken Barker Lilliput Sailing Club Ross Eaton Jetski Safaris 1. Apologies Apologies were received from Jim Stewart PHC, Kevin Walters Blue Line Cruises, Andy Gratwick - BKSA, Martin Pearson Parkstone Yacht Club & Nigel Barrow Maritime Volunteer Service. 2. Minutes of Last Meeting The minutes of the last meeting held on 15 th October 2012 were approved. 3. Matters Arising There were no matters arising. 4. Harbour Control Officer - Bruce Lack gave a presentation on the newly installed 3D VTS monitoring equipment now being used continually by Harbour Control Officers. 5. Harbour Master s Safety Update BM reminded everyone that the Harbour Masters primary role is for the safety of navigation within the harbour Authorities jurisdiction. This meeting is aimed at updating everyone on how the safety of navigation is being maintained and to discuss issues that affect harbour safety. BM tabled a chart showing the reported incidents covering the period 1 st October 2012 to 31 st March

2 BM advised that the annual marine safety report will be published within the next two months and will cover, in detail, the period 1 st April 2012 to 31 st March This will be available to view or download from the PHC website. BM advised that the safety record in Poole Harbour continues to be excellent and thanked everyone for their own contribution in achieving this. It is apparent by what is being reported and observed that the majority of harbour users take safety on the water very seriously. BM advised that the independent Designated Person conducted a Safety Management System inspection on the 11 th April and he advised that he is happy to report that there were no deficiencies, however it was observed that the system for inspecting Aids to Navigation should be formalised. Ross Eaton of Jetski Safaris raised concerns regarding unmarked stakes sticking out of the water. BM advised that he would arrange for this to be looked at accordingly. Incidents BM reminded everyone that all incidents have to be investigated by the HM in order to understand any lessons that can be learned and whether any procedures need to be tightened or control measures added to relevant risk assessments. The aim is not to apportion blame (notwithstanding prosecutions) but to maintain or improve the safety of navigation and the general safety culture in Poole Harbour. Over a period of time trends may start to be highlighted which again would should the need to revisit risk assessments and current procedures. BM highlighted the following 4 full incident investigations since the last meeting: Near Miss Class 1A racing yachts v UKBA Valiant Near Miss Dredger v FV Pollution Perenco Oil and Gas release Cargo vessel engine failure BM advised the importance of reporting incidents including near misses. Kitesurfing At the last meeting BM advised of the progress in working with the kitesurfing community in order that the extreme sport could be safely managed. This has so far proved successful with the training schools taking a proactive role in ensuring safety standards are being maintained. The 50m exclusion zone at Whitley Lake is working well. Unfortunately, this month, there has been a very serious accident involving a kitesurfer outside the harbour near the beach off shore road. The kitesurfer got taken by a gust of wind and made contact with a beach sign and is now critical in Southampton hospital. Luckily no other member of the public was injured. The safety of this sport in PHC jurisdiction needs to be looked at further and as such a meeting has been arranged to include local training schools and Poole and Purbeck Councils. 2

3 Aids to Navigation BM reminded that PHC are the Local Lighthouse Authority and as such are responsible for the management and maintenance of all Aids to Navigation in Poole Harbour (not including maintenance of 3 rd party AtoN). Aids to Navigation play an important part in maintaining harbour safety. PHC strive to maintain our excellent light availability record which surpasses required industry minimum standards set by Trinity House the General Lighthouse Authority. BM advised that there were 20 defects in the period Oct-Mar which is an improvement on last year s 27 and previous years 45 for the same period. As advised at the last meeting the main causal factor of these defects is solar activity which has an effect on battery charging to keep the lights functioning. BM advised that over the past two years PHC have continued to improve how they manage and maintain the AtoN s. He further advised that currently PHC rely on reports from harbour users and PHC staff out on the water however this year PHC will be implementing a formal inspection procedure covering all areas and all AtoN s over a rolling 12 month period. Any reports from harbour users will, of course, continue to be welcomed. Harbour Improvements BM advised that members may have been aware (hopefully not) that Harbour Control was undergoing a refurbishment over the past 6 weeks. This work is now complete. Interesting to note that a total of 20 contractors were used to complete this work of which 18 were local businesses. The refurbishment has improved reception quality and monitoring capability of all equipment thereby improving harbour safety. At the last meeting BM advised of two harbour monitoring improvements that Poole Harbour Commissioners had agreed to invest in. The 3D VTS monitoring equipment is now installed and being used continually by the Harbour Control Officers to assist in monitoring the passage plan of vessels fitted with AIS, which is mandatory for vessels over 300grt. Work on the improvements to AIS and radar coverage is progressing and should hopefully be completed by end of May. BM recommended that all commercial vessel owners should consider having AIS transmitters installed on their vessels to improve safety. 3

4 6. Enforcement BM advised that all prosecutions regarding byelaw infringements have been successful since the last meeting. Prosecutions are only progressed where there is sufficient evidence and in full compliance with the PHC enforcement policy. 2(aa) Speeding (aa) Speeding (e) Operating PW without HM permission (a) Navigating without due care or caution - 4,150 (Case dating back to ) 7. Incident Reporting BM advised that the Initial report of any incident should be made to Harbour Control by VHF or phone. This will allow the HM Department to progress the investigation. A follow up detailed written report may be requested. To help with this a generic incident report proforma has been produced. (LNTM 44/2012) BM advised again that near miss reporting, is essential to understand any potential accident waiting to happen and to mitigate any risk to as low as reasonable practicable. 8. Risk Assessment BM advised that all risk assessments are required to be reviewed on an annual basis or following a related incident. BM confirmed that all risk assessments were up to date. All control measures are also reviewed to ensure they are adequate. This process has been made more productive by the procurement of risk assessment software which has now more recently been upgraded again to a more user friendly web based system. BM reminded everyone to review their own risk assessments and to provide a copy for the PHC SMS files. 9. Harbour Patrols BM advised that Poole Harbour Commissioners are very much aware of the concerns of harbour users surrounding the uncertainty of the Dorset Police Marine Section at a time when criminal activity on the water has been on the increase. The Commissioners have made a proposal to Dorset Police which would combine patrols within Poole Harbour using the Harbour Authority vessels. 4

5 A 100% increase in patrol hours has been agreed equating to a minimum of 1600 hours per year. This is at a cost of circa 50k per annum paid for by Poole Harbour Commissioners. This is not a statutory requirement of Poole Harbour Commissioners however we are prepared to play our part in securing a police presence on Poole Harbour waters. Poole Harbour Commissioners to continuing a close working relationship with Dorset Police and feel this is excellent news which we are sure will be welcomed by the Poole Harbour community. Brian Murphy advised that following an internal annual review some changes had been made to the harbour patrol instructions following the Service Level Agreement with Dorset Police. 10. Any Other Business Small Craft Emergency Protocol BM advised that he was approached by three Poole Harbour yacht clubs to consider introducing a voluntary protocol to help with emergencies during yacht racing in Poole Harbour. It was felt that someone or organisation needed to have a co-ordinating role in the event of an emergency. This was as a result of lessons learned from previous incidents particularly communication and lack of experience/professionalism in dealing with emergency situations. Following informal consultation with HMCG and RYA, a draft document was produced which retains the HMCG as the primary co-ordinator whilst vastly improving communication links with all involved. A further meeting was held prior to this one to follow up on the draft consultation and agree on a workable final draft version before undertaking a more formal consultation process. It is hoped that any agreed protocol can in future be opened out to similar types of activities including small commercial, organised events and training days etc... James Sydenham raised a question regarding the oil spill at Wytch Farm. The Harbour Master reported that an oil spill incident had occurred at Wytch Farm Goathorn Site F during the month. He further reported that delays had occurred in reporting the incident to Poole Harbour Commissioners. The Harbour Master advised that Poolspill had been activated to assist with the incident. He further advised that further meetings will be held with representatives of Perenco with PHC recommendations. Ross Eaton reported on previous issues regarding marker buoys within the jet ski area in Poole Harbour. He further reported that education is essential between both parties when yacht racing is taking place. BM advised that more coherence and communication is required. After discussion it was agreed that a schedule of yacht racing would be distributed to jet ski schools. 5

6 Paul Taylor requested that a broadcast be given on Channel 14 when lifeboats are launched in Poole Harbour. The Harbour Master advised that he would give this some thought. 11. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 22 nd October