Agenda item

To submit a report by the Senior Harbours Officer.

To note and accept the report.

 

The following reports were presented, and members were invited to give feedback on the safety matters and operational matters of the harbour.

 

(1)     The Senior Harbour Officer's report, giving a brief update to the committee on harbour matters for the year ending March 2023. 

 

Matters were raised under the following headings:-

 

Porthmadog Moorings and Boat Registration

 

Further to the contents of the written report, the Senior Harbours Officer noted that the underwater inspection of the moorings in the harbour had been held.  It was found that 20 risers needed replacing and it was hoped that the work would start soon, subject to the moorings contractor's commitments.

 

Port Marine Safety Code

 

Further to the contents of the written report, the Senior Harbours Officer noted that the 2023 Merchant Shipping Order (Watercraft) was coming into operation on 31 March, and that it would give more powers to the relevant agencies to prosecute owners and mariners for dangerous misuse of watercraft.  He has a meeting with the Police on 17 March to discuss the way forward, and he would be in a situation to report more to the members following that meeting.

 

The Assistant Head of Economy and Community noted that the lack of management / enforcement over personal watercraft had been quite a cause for concern over the years, and that the change in the legislation was a step in the right direction.  The arrangements and the regulations would develop over the next few months and years, and further details could be shared with the members in due course.

 

The Maritime Service Manager added that the new legislation was an additional tool for the Council if there was an accident or incident in the future.  He also emphasised that the Council had an effective registration system in place already, therefore if anyone was seen offending with a powercraft it was important to note the registration numbers in order to ensure it was possible to identify the individual.

 

Financial Matters

 

The Maritime Service Manager gave a full explanation of the harbour budget 01/4/22 - 31/3/23, and it was included as an appendix to the report.

 

It was questioned why the Harbours income was nearly £10,000 less than the target.  In response, the Maritime Service Manager noted:-

 

·         That not all moorings had been filled, and that the income was dependent on the busyness during the season.

·         That the 2022 season was not as busy as the 2021 season, when there was a restriction on travelling abroad due to Covid.

·         Generally, it was foreseen that there would be an overspend of around £6,000, but that there were other significant costs likely to arise during the next month, such as purchasing mooring chains and completing maintenance work on the harbour's boat, therefore the overspend was likely to increase a little by the end of the month.

 

The Assistant Head of Economy and Community Department added:-

 

·         That it was likely that the budget was based on historical numbers, and a reduction had been seen generally in the number of boats across the county's harbours.

·         As well as the Council’s moorings, that there were additional resources developed at Porthmadog Harbour over the years, specifically Madog Yacht Club pontoons.  Some of the Council's historic customers had moved to the pontoon provision, and by now were customers of the Yacht Club.  Therefore, the picture wasn’t a full reflection of all vessels in the harbour.

 

Fees and Charges 2023/24

 

Further to the content of the written report, the Maritime Service Manager noted:-

 

·         That a report was submitted to the Finance Unit and the mooring and watercraft fees were expected to be confirmed soon.

·         That the level of inflation in Porthmadog Harbour was 8.5%, which meant that the income target had also increased 8.5%.

·         That it was proposed to raise Porthmadog Harbour fees by 6%, and it was awaited to see if the Cabinet Member would confirm the fees or not.  Obviously, if the target for the next financial year was not met, the expenditure would need to be cut.

·         Some fees associated with the fees for launching and registering vessels were raised.  The fees for registering jet skis and power boats had risen 20%, which was from £50 to £60 for the year, and the annual fee for registering and a launching permit had risen from £150 to £170. 

·         That it was proposed to keep the launching fee at £20 as the fee was doubled from £10 to £20 around three years ago.

·         That an increase in the launching fee for boats smaller than 10hp was proposed from £30 to £35.

 

It was questioned how the council's fee's compare with the fees of the pontoons, and so forth.  In response, the Harbourmaster noted that the fees of the pontoons were around £1,000 higher than the Council's mooring fees.  The Senior Harbours Officer noted that he would ask the Yacht Club for the exact figure and would forward this information to the member.

 

The Assistant Head of Economy and Community noted that it was difficult to compare moorings with pontoons, as they were very different developments, and that the Council welcomed the fact that the Yacht Club had succeeded to develop the pontoons plan to maximise the quality and facilities within the Harbour.

 

(2)     The Harbourmaster's report, summarising the navigational and operational matters that had arisen between October 2022 and March 2023, including maintenance matters.

 

Matters were raised under the following headings:-

 

Operational Matters

 

Further to the contents of the written report, the Harbourmaster noted that the emergency response exercise to large scale oil pollution in the Harbour hadn't cost anything for the Council.  He also noted that the approved providers had learnt a great deal from the exercise as the river flowed quite fast through the Harbour.

 

An observation was made that it would be beneficial if the local members were informed beforehand of any such events in the Harbour in the future.

 

Maintenance

 

Further to the content of the written report, the Maritime Service Manager noted:-

 

·         That a request was received from Robert Owen (Commercial Interests Representative) to lend a personal watercraft to the Maritime Service over the summer to make it easier to patrol the Harbour channel and the launching area in Morfa Bychan, as the personal watercraft was not dependent on the tide like the Powercat patrol boat.

·         That there were some matters to confirm with the Council from the point of view of insurance and so forth, before committing to this, but it was foreseen that the personal watercraft could be a valuable asset to the Service.

·         It was not foreseen that this arrangement would be in place before Easter, but it was hoped it would be in place by the end of May.

 

Morfa Bychan Beach

 

Further to the content of the written report, the Maritime Service Manager noted that a licence had now been approved for transporting the large transformer to Morfa Bychan beach and forward along the road to Trawsfynydd power station.  Also, that an application had been made for Natural Resources Wales to install tracks to transport the transformer across the beach.

 

The Assistant Head of Economy and Community Department noted, as it was a little early in the season in term of providing detailed information regarding the arrangements for transporting the transformer, that there was an intention to provide a short report for the members in around six weeks providing an update on the situation.

 

RESOLVED to note and accept the report.