A major £1.6 million investment by Falmouth Harbour (FH) will see Falmouth having a new state of the art pilot boat in 2024 as the organisation invests in the future of the port.

Falmouth Harbour has awarded the North Wales based company Holyhead Marine, the £1.6m contract to build a clean, safe, fuel-efficient pilot vessel to join a fleet operating 24/7, 365 days a year and completing more than 1,000 boardings and landings of pilots per year within the Falmouth Harbour Pilotage Area.

It follows a competitive tender process of top boat builders around the UK, with a remit to make full use of modern advances in fuel-saving technology, safety and crew welfare and to have the new, 16–18m dedicated coded pilot vessel operational in 2024.

The Harbour Board evaluated tenders received based on criteria that included suitability of the proposed vessel specifically to the Falmouth Harbour operating environments, capability to deliver a vessel in service by the end of 2024, price and track record and experience of delivering Pilot Boats successfully into service in the UK.

This positive investment comes at a time when the south west could see a significant upturn in commercial shipping in a few years time due to the Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) projects currently being evaluated and planned for the Celtic Sea.

“Our Pilot boat crews work 24/7 365 days a year, in all weathers, to keep our harbour open and safe to shipping and they deserve the best equipment we can buy,” says Falmouth Harbour CEO Miles Carden. “This new pilot vessel, built in the UK by Holyhead, will be an incredible asset for the next 20 to 30 years.

“It will be state of the art and one of the few Tier 3 compliant pilot vessels operating in the country – with features which help Falmouth Harbour Commissioners meet their sustainability targets."

Tier 3 vessels have to be fitted with compliant engines to meet IMO standards for reduced engine emissions. The vessel will have a design speed of 22 knots and 18 knots cruising speed.

Engines are 2x Scania DI13 550BHP. Tier 3 compliant Selective Catalytic NOx Reduction system fitted (urea injection).

Miles says: “Scania is the preferred option with existing Arrow engines and great local engineering support from local Scania depot in Redruth, supporting local engineering jobs.

“This is a very proud moment for our whole team who have worked incredibly hard to reach this point. In 18 months’ time the new vessel will arrive and this will be one of the biggest events for the harbour for a decade, and one of the largest private investments for a considerable period.”

Holyhead Marine managing director Nick Colin York says: “We are particularly excited about this project as this Pilot Boat will have the Camarc Design refined hull form which has been developed to improve efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and enhance sea-keeping capability.

“We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this contract and are looking forward to working with Miles and the team at Falmouth Harbour.”

Falmouth Harbour’s two current all-weather coded pilot boats operated by the Pilot Service are Arrow, a 16.7m Halmatic built modern pilot vessel built in 2006 and the LK Mitchell, a 17.5m Nelson 56 pilot vessel built in 1978. A two-boat operation, with the vessels operated in rotation, is essential to ensure complete coverage of the area and allow for vessel downtime and maintenance.

The new boat will replace the LK Mitchell, which arrived here from her builders in Scotland in May 1978 and was the first Trinity House pilot boat to have an all-orange superstructure.

“At 45 years old LK Mitchell is fast approaching a point where she is no longer economically viable to operate to the standards required of a 24/7 operation in Falmouth,” says Miles.

“She has been a loyal servant to our Port but the time to replace her has come. We will outline this vessel’s future in the coming months and we hope to redeploy her in a second, less demanding commercial life.”

Falmouth Pilot Services (FPS) are a service arm of Falmouth Harbour Commissioners and Falmouth Harbour is the pilotage authority for the Falmouth Pilotage Area, which is defined as “So much of the River Fal as is below Truro and the part of the sea (with all harbours and tidal waters ) within an imaginary line drawn from the Dodman to Black Head.”

Falmouth Harbour Commissioners’ chair Carrie Gilmore says: “This long-awaited and incredibly important investment represents a very exciting time for us and a statement about our confidence in the future of commercial shipping in our harbour.

“The new vessel will be a significant step forward in technology, fuel efficiency and sustainability and will modernise Falmouth Harbour’s Pilotage service, securing safe and efficient operations for the future benefit of the port and its many stakeholders.

"It will help make us absolutely fit for purpose to realise future opportunities around technologies such as Floating Offshore Wind.”

Under the provisions of the Pilotage Act 1987 and the Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) 2016, Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, as a Competent Harbour Authority (CHA), is empowered to provide an efficient and safe pilotage service.

The PMSC states: “Harbour authorities are accountable for the duty to provide a pilotage service; and for keeping the need for pilotage and the service provided under constant and formal review.”

FPS provides pilotage services to the other two CHAs, namely the Falmouth Docks and Engineering Company, and Cornwall Council, which runs the Ports of Truro and Penryn under an agency agreement.

Falmouth became a Trinity House Pilotage Outport in 1809 with Henry Vincent of St Mawes being the first pilot to be licensed along with Sam Lowry, John Pascoe, Richard Trevaskis and Bennet Lowry.

The devolution of Pilotage in 1988 saw Trinity House relinquish its Pilotage responsibilities to harbour authorities, thus ending Falmouth’s 180 years association with the authority.

Out of interest, the 67ft sailing pilot cutter Arrow was built at Trethowan's boat yard near Flushing in 1862. The itemised bill of sale shows that she cost £810 6s 10d.