This is a new feature which provides a direct route for the Harbour Master to communicate with Harbour Stakeholders. “CHANNEL 71” will address current safety-related concerns, provide navigational advice and highlight local examples of ‘Best Practice’ wherever possible.
In the interest of reducing a recent increase in towage related incidents I wanted to draw your attention to The Littlehampton Harbour Towage Guidelines (published in June 2021).
There are several associated risks with vessel towage, if these risks are not mitigated as low as reasonably practicable then the likelihood and potentially the severity of incidents can increase. Thankfully, the recent incidents have been relatively minor, however they were all subject to some level of emergency intervention from Littlehampton Harbour Board (LHB).
The Towage Guidelines are aimed at ensuring the safety of all towage operations within Littlehampton Harbour. They are intended as guidance only and ultimately the towage requirements for individual vessels remains the responsibility of the Master.
| The Littlehampton Harbour Towage Guidelines state: Before any vessel engages in towage within harbour limits, a towage plan must be discussed with the Duty Harbour Master before committing to enter the harbour or departing moorings. If it is necessary to provide towage assistance in an emergency, the towage provider should inform the Duty Harbour Master of their intentions as soon as it is safe to do so. Emergency situations must be reported to HM Coastguard via CH16 or 999 and then the Duty Harbour Master via CH71 or 01903 721 215. |
If you are planning a tow or would like some advice relating to towage ‘Best Practice’ please feel free to contact me at the Harbour Office on 01903 721215 or email harbour@littlehampton.org.uk
The full Towage Guidelines for Littlehampton Harbour can be downloaded HERE.
Thank you for your current and ongoing understanding and cooperation with this set of safety critical guidelines.
Mike Hayes
Harbour Master
28/11/2024
