This week our team have been out on the Bell Rock welding, surveying and storing.

Each day our technicians, engineers and mariners travel to the lighthouse by helicopter from PHAROS.  They only have a 3 hour window to complete the work before the tide covers the rock. Working together as part of a team is key to carrying out the tasks safely.

The main part of the work is to replace the walkway between the helipad and the tower which washed away in recent storms. The walkway was fabricated at our Oban Base by Mechanical Technician Ross Russell.

Commenting on the work, Ross said:

Working on the reef was difficult as its craggy and undulating with rock pools here and there. The importance of having a level walkway is highlighted within one or two steps on the rock. The tidal window is extremely restrictive as all the tools and materials have to come down from entrance level or underslung from the Pharos when the tide recedes, and then lifted away before the tide returns. Timing is key.

It’s a great privilege to work on infrastructure hundreds of years old and is a testament to the Stevensons that the walkway has lasted so well and is still in service.