Warning issued to mariners over sandbank and eddy at harbour approach

Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter

Aerial images have shown the extent of issues being faced by mariners on the approach to a north Wales harbour.

Seafarers are being warned to take extra care due to the ongoing development of a sandbank and large eddy in the ‘Danger Rock’ area of Porthmadog Harbour, not far from Borth y Gest.

Speaking at a meeting of the Porthmadog Harbour Consultative Committee today (Friday, March 27) senior harbour officer Daniel Cartwrght showed members drone footage of the dramatic features.

He said: “What we have here is a sandbank towards Danger Rock, what we are finding is there is a stronger flow of water coming from the River Dwyryd and it is creating an eddy.

“This is causing a little bit of wall build next to the rocks and the flowing water coming from the harbour itself has slowed.

“In turn, together, they have created this sandbank and  also now this large eddy next to the rock, which is causing some problems for mariners navigating in to the harbour.

“So, what we are requesting now is that any larger vessels, really, to approach the harbour and go over that sand bank particularly at high water,  just for safety.”

He added that staff would be out on the estuary in the coming week marking the channel as “safely as we can”.

An operational report update given at the meeting also noted that the channel had continued to be monitored throughout the winter period.

“The large sand bank that developed during the previous season remains in place,” it said.

“Mariners are therefore advised to approach the area with caution.

“Mariners operating vessels with a draught of two metres or more were advised to “navigate this section of the channel approximately 1.5 hours either side of high water” to avoid grounding.

They were also  “strongly advised” to contact the Harbour Office and refer to the latest Local Notice to Mariners for up-to-date information regarding navigation into Porthmadog Harbour and check Cyngor Gwynedd’s website for warnings.

The meeting had also heard how maritime staff had responded to an environmental incident in the Criccieth area during the winter.

The staff had been trained in oil spill response and had deployed booms, absorbent mats and other materials to contain the spill  to minimise the environmental impact.

The  report also pointed to the area once again experiencing “an increased number of storms” predominantly from a South-South-East direction.

However, only one incident was recorded during this time which had involved a small vessel that became submerged alongside the harbour wall due to heavy rainfall and strong winds.

The meeting heard that no environmental concerns were identified, and the vessel was righted at the earliest opportunity.