Council facing £50,000 harbour patrol boat bill

Richard Evans – Local democracy reporter

A north Wales council could face a bill of tens of thousands of pounds for the replacement of a harbour patrol boat.

At a harbour advisory committee meeting at the council’s Coed Pella HQ in Colwyn Bay this week, Conwy County Council’s harbour master presented councillors with his regular report.

Harbour Master Matthew Forbes told the committee that the council’s patrol boat had failed to meet regulation standards for smaller commercial vessels.

Reserves

Consequently, the council could face a substantial bill if the boat can’t be modified to current standards, with funds coming out of reserves to pay for the vessel.

“Our patrol vessel, Endeavour, has failed the workbook code three, so that means even though it has been perfectly sea-worthy for the last 25 years, now it is not from December,” said Mr Forbes.

“So we are looking at ways of whether we can either modify the vessel or whether we have to purchase a new one.”

He added: “If we have to purchase a new one, we are looking at a minimum of about £50,000 for a coded vessel so that would probably have to come out of the reserves, so this is something we are working on now with our surveyor, and I’ll keep the committee updated on that.”

Safety

A spokeswoman for Conwy County Council said: “The Workboat Code 3 is a code of practice issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) which governs the safety of small workboats and pilot boats.

“The harbour patrol vessel is presently fully certified under the Workboat Code 2.

“In December 2026 the patrol vessel, and indeed all small commercial vessels in the UK, must comply with the provisions of the Workboat Code 3.

“This involves a new requirement to pass a ‘swamp test’ whereby the vessel stays afloat when completely flooded.

“To pass this test, the vessel would require extensive modification. We are presently exploring whether this is feasible or whether we need to purchase a new vessel.”