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JOINT NEWS RELEASETrinity House Lighthouse Service and Northern Lighthouse Board
TRINITY HOUSE AND NORTHERN LIGHTHOUSE BOARD ANNOUNCE NEW SHIP ORDERS
Trinity House and the Northern Lighthouse Board, two of the three General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland, today announced orders for new ships.Agreement has been reached with the Gdansk Stocznia Remontowa S.A. yard in Gdansk, Poland to build two 82m Multi-Function Tenders (MFTs), one for each GLA, and one 35m Rapid Intervention Vessel (RIV) for Trinity House. The ships are being built to the high technical standards demanded by the GLAs for the exacting operations they conduct around our coast.
The ships are being financed by the Royal Bank of Scotland with leasing costs being met by the General Lighthouse Fund. This fund, which is under the trusteeship of the UK Secretary of State for Transport who has approved the order, is financed by Light Dues paid by vessels visiting UK and Irish ports. It is not financed by general taxation.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief Executives Peter Melson, Chairman of the Joint GLA Steering Group, said: "This contract ensures that the GLAs continue to give a top class service with excellent ships at a highly competitive price thus ensuring the shipowners continue to get the best value for money."
Media EnquiriesTrinity House – Howard Cooper 020 74816950 howard.cooper@thls.org
Northern Lighthouse Board – Lorna Hunter 0131 4733100 lhunter@nlb.org.uk
10 November 2004Questions & Answers
Q. Where will the new ships be built?
A. The new ships will be built in Gdansk, Poland by Gdansk Stocznia Remontowa S.A.
Q How many yards bid for the work?
A. Five yards submitted tenders.
Q. How did we select the successful yard?
A. The tendering process to select the shipyard to build the vessels followed the requirements of the EU Procurement Directives.
Q. When will construction work begin?
A. Once the contracts are signed the work will begin in earnest. For the first few months detailed drawings will be produced and steel, machinery and other items of equipment ordered. We will not actually start ‘cutting steel’ until about June 2005.
Q. When will the launch take place?
A. We plan that the NLB launch will take place in November 2005.
Q. When are the ships likely to be delivered?
A. The ships are scheduled to be delivered from October 2006.
Q. What will the new NLB ship be called?
A. That has yet to be decided by the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, however a decision is expected in Spring 2005.
Q. What are the main differences between the new ship and the NLB vessel MV PHAROS?
A. The ship will be slightly longer and broader and be equipped with dynamic positioning (like POLE STAR), a large aft working deck area, integrated bridge management system and forward helicopter flight deck. She will be able to carry out additional tasks such as hydrographic surveying and will have more accommodation for supernumeraries and passengers. She will be built to the latest environmental standards and operate with a slightly smaller crew than PHAROS.