Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Report for Information

1. Summary

1.1. This report summarises the activities and events on the River from 21 November 2008. Any incidents taking place after this report is distributed will be the subject of a separate Annex to be distributed at the meeting.

2. Recommendation

2.1 That the contents of the report be noted.

3. Background Information

3.1 The River has been patrolled daily by the Duty Harbour Master from 0830hrs until 1700hrs.

4. Incidents

4.1 1 December: Armed robbery in Hamble at the Nat West Bank. A getaway car found in Port Hamble. Patrol liaised with the Marine Police launch at Port Hamble. A person was apprehended in Mercury Marina with money and a knife. The Police helicopter landed in Port Hamble during the incident.

4.2 1 December: Adjusted all signage with the amended VAT prices.

4.3 9 December: The Patrol attended and gave assistance to a 10 metre sailing boat that was found sitting on top of the Spit, under full sail but hard aground. The patrol heeled the yacht over with a halyard from the top of the mast and a fishing boat then towed the boat off the Spit.

4.4 17 December: The Patrol rescued a gentleman from the harbour after his tender had been swamped and capsized. The Patrol was alerted by calls of help from the darkness and on further investigation they found a man clinging to an upturned tender. The man was recovered into the patrol boat and taken to the Harbour Office. The man was fully dressed in waterproof sailing clothing including heavy boots which he was unable to remove. He was unable to swim without sinking as he was not wearing a life jacket. Two other younger persons who had also been in the tender had been able to swim for the midstream pontoon and haul themselves out of the water leaving the older person clinging to the upturned tender. Paramedics and an ambulance attended to the gentleman to ensure he was fit enough to go home. The incident happened in the dark on a very cold night when the water temperature was 8 degrees C and the air temperature was 2 degrees C. He had been in the water for about 5 minutes and was beginning to suffer from the effects of the cold. If the man had been wearing a lifejacket he would have had a better chance of rescuing himself. The tender was overloaded, had no lights and none of the crew had lifejackets on.

4.5 1 Jan: The Patrol attended a fire onboard the Ferry Restaurant at Bursledon. The Ferry Restaurant is based in the former Woolston Ferry, a floating iron/steel barge type vessel which is moored between the Elephant Boatyard and Deacons Boatyard at Bursledon. The Elephant Boatyard offices also occupy part of the barge. The fire affected the kitchen area of the restaurant and there appeared to be little or no damage to the hull. The fire posed no threat to other vessels moored in the area and did not release any liquid or substance that would cause an environmental problem. The Fire Services extinguished the fire and confirmed that the structure was safe.

4.6 18 Jan: A southerly storm effected the Harbour, peaking at around 2200hrs with wind speeds of 50 knots gusting up to 58 knots. Damage recorded to boats in the Harbour was minimal with only two boats being effected.

a. At Lands End a 6 metre Hobie Cat sailing catamaran was found capsized and jammed under pontoon V13-14 at Bursledon. The patrol assisted the owner to recover the boat without damage to the boat or pontoon.

b. A long keeled yacht was found wedged in a mud bank sitting in an upright position. The patrol was able to tow it off without difficulty. The yacht had broken free from a swinging mooring. No other damage was recorded.

5. Port Marine Safety Code

5.1 On the 24 December the Designated Person completed an audit of the harbour's Safety Management System. The audit report is attached to this report as Annex A.

6. Lifejackets and Tenders

6.1 The wearing of lifejackets has become a very emotive subject in the sailing world over the last few months. The Harbour Master and the Patrol Team does not wish to get further embroiled in the argument about whether lifejackets should be worn when afloat in a yacht or motor cruiser on a sunny day while sitting in the cockpit, but does strongly recommend the following to those using tenders within the Harbour:

a. Modern lifejackets are small and light and should be worn by all who use tenders within the Harbour. Should there be an incident and the crew suddenly and unexpectedly find themselves in the water the lifejacket may assist in self- rescue.

b. In the incident reported in 4.3 above the person was not wearing a lifejacket and was forced to remain clinging to the upturned tender. Unable to attempt to swim to a point of self-rescue because his clothing weighed him down he was forced to remain in the water. It was very cold and dark with hardly anyone on the water or in the immediate vicinity. If he had been alone, he would have been in significant danger of drowning.

6.2 The Harbour Authority strongly recommends the following to all those using small tenders within the Harbour.

a. Always wear a lifejacket.

b. Do not overload and be aware of the freeboard.

c. Carry a torch and be seen at night.

d. Use an engine but always carry oars.

e. Carry a bailer attached to the tender.

f. Consider enhancing the buoyancy of the tender.

g. Try not to use in poor weather conditions.

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Annex A

23 December 2008

Mr A Clatworthy

Harbour Master

River Hamble Harbour Authority

Shore Road

Warsash

Southampton SO31 9FR

Dear Sir

PORT MARINE SAFETY CODE COMPLIANCE AUDIT 23-12-08

The Port Marine Safety Code requires that the Designated Person audits the Harbour Authority's compliance with the Code and provides independent assurance to the duty holder. We report accordingly and ask that this report be presented to the Board.

We enclose a Certificate of Compliance confirming compliance with the Code subject to the contents of this report. This should be filed in Volume 4 under Tab 4 of the Safety Management System.

General

This audit has been conducted by Capt. M. Caulkin of Marine Enforcement as he does not regularly assist the Harbour Authority and is able to take a fresh approach to the audit.

It is evident that RHHA manages risks and safety by way of a mature Safety Management System which is constantly being refined. The SMS is subject to external independent audit every 6 months. Failures within such a mature and well scrutinized SMS are usually minor book-keeping/documentary errors. This has been seen on this audit.

Overall, RHHA runs a tight ship, with high levels of understanding, commitment and enthusiasm. Management and staff at RHHA balance many competing and

conflicting demands emanating from the diverse stakeholders. They do it very well.

The operational core of the SMS is the Patrol log sheets, not least because of the supporting reports and consequent actions. Patrol log sheets provide a running commentary on the day to day activities on the River and the actions taken by the staff. A review of several dozen sample sheets over the last 6 months demonstrated a high level of correct form completion and a strong commitment to duties and to customer service by patrol staff. There were a few Incident and Pollution Report forms with signatures missing. On a recent occasion the prompt response of a patrol boat probably saved the life of an elderly gentleman who found himself in the water.

1. OBSERVATIONS:

1.1 Close-out of previous observations.

P023 Annex 1 which relates to risk assessments for yacht club events has been completed using input from the recent Navigation Safety Meeting

Port Waste Management Plan final preparation is still in hand with active dialogue with the MCA who are content with progress. One difficulty has been the slow response of marina operators who are required to send returns to RHHA. It is anticipated that the Plan will be submitted in early 2009. We ask to be kept informed of the progress of the approval of this plan.

Returns from various parties have now confirmed there are no submarine pipes or cables under the river and thereby requiring warning signage so this matter is closed.

1.2 Observations

SMS Volume 9 - CCTV Procedures - has a Training Sheet at the front to be signed by all staff. Compliance with the various CCTV and data regulations is onerous and it is important that all staff follow procedures. Several staff had not signed the Training Sheet.

Table-top exercises have been held frequently and individual staff are encouraged, as part of their personal development, to plan, hold and de-brief an exercise. This is valuable personal development.

The HM has concerns about the structural integrity of the Stone Pier fuelling pontoon and has attempted dialogue with the landlord with little



success so far. A potential safety and environmental issue has been identified and the HM is taking steps to deal with it. The auditor accompanied the HM to inspect the pontoon and agrees with the concerns of the HM. The next step is to require the Landlord to confirm the pontoon is fit for purpose by way of an engineer's structural report. If this approach fails, we ask to be kept informed so that we can consider an approach directly from Marine Enforcement.

Prior warning is given that at the next audit the auditor will wish to see an emergency exercise initiated which exercises the response of the Harbour Authority to a major incident which involves at least the following, fire, pollution and evacuation of injured and able bodied casualties including liaison with other agencies. This exercise is not to be restricted to a table top. We are content to be involved in the planning of this exercise.

2. NON-CONFORMITIES:

None and none to close out.

3. REPRESENTATION MADE TO DESIGNATED PERSON

None.

4. CONCLUSION:

The role of the Designated Person is to provide independent assurance to the Harbour Authority that the Safety Management System is working effectively. I can, subject to the comments detailed in this report, confirm this is the case. I also confirm that I have had direct access to the highest level of the Harbour Authority.

Yours faithfully

Capt. Mick Caulkin

Commercial Director

Enc: