The Port of Milford Haven’s marine project manager, Gareth Phillips gave an update on the Port’s procurement of a new, state-of-the-art, heavy weather pilot vessel at the Seawork Conference, as part of the session on ‘Optimising construction, in-life and OPEX costs’.
Gareth, supported by representatives of the Port’s pilots and launch crew, explained how the new vessel will support the team in operating the UK’s leading energy port safely, responsibly, and effectively. Collaboration with leading suppliers and experts in the naval architecture sector proving a vital component in this substantial investment in an industry leading pilot vessel. The Port of Milford Haven’s ambition is to deliver a world-class pilotage service. With the Port currently handling around a fifth of the UK energy needs, and with traffic at the Port set to increase over the next few years, it is essential that the Port has the capability to deliver a safe, resilient, year-round service to its customers, whilst operating in some of the most challenging sea conditions anywhere in the world. To achieve this, it is undertaking a programme of marine-based projects, one of which includes the procurement of at least one new pilot vessel. In June 2021 the Port of Milford Haven appointed leading international design, engineering, science, and risk management consultancy, BMT, to provide technical Naval Architect support to the project team. Since then, the Port and BMT have been working together to identify potential designers and develop a requirements-based capability to meet the Port’s unique operating conditions. Award of contract is expected imminently. Gareth was joined at the Conference session by BMT’s Lead Naval Architect/Technical Lead, Steven Lee, to share the insights and lessons learned during this procurement process.
