Maritime Journal has discovered that this well-established Belfast company plays a number of key roles in the operation of the port of Belfast and also has had a long association with VT Halmatic.

David Ferran & Sons were founded over 60 years ago by brothers David and Samuel Ferran and remain an independent family firm in the hands of Albert, Justin and Mark Ferran. Mr Justin Ferran has been in charge as 'Managing Partner' since March of this year and is keen to see the business grow from providing local services to operating a further afield. The company are the principle light towage, line handling and mooring contractors in the port of Belfast and provide a number of other essential services in the area.

Ferrans have a fleet of five tug/workboats with bollard pulls ranging from 2 to 14.6 tonnes available to carry out towage and mooring work, offering a 365 days a year, 24 hours a day service. Among their clients are the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, Harland & Wolff, Stena Line and most of the major shipping agencies.

The company also handle approximately 95 percent of all tanker traffic serving oil terminals in the Port of Belfast.

Much of this work involves the towage of small and medium sized ships, providing a 'stern tug' for steering assistance when required, and attending to rope running and mooring. A wholly owned sister company, Ferran Port Services, currently operate the pilot boat service for the Belfast Harbour Commissioners.

A total of 20 personnel are employed by the two companies, eight of which are engaged in the pilot boat service. The company operates from one main office and two satellites in the dock system and all vessel and personnel movements are controlled via VHF radio. The standard of staff expertise and training is high and all marine personnel are licensed by the Marine Safety Agency to Department of Trade Standards, and procedures comply with the highest Health and Safety. A full safety management system is in operation within the company and audited at regular intervals by Peninsular Business Services and BP Logistics. The company are also accredited under the Quality Management system BS/ISO 9001: 2000.

With the arrival of Belfast the company's fleet took a major step forward. From its inception the workboat was intended for multi-purpose use, capable of towing with a considerably higher bollard pull than previously available and carrying out line running work with greater efficiency than was possible with some of the existing plant.

Built with towing and mooring duties in mind the decks have been kept clear of any major obstructions and the superstructure is protected by tubular overhead guard-rails.

Towing bitts aft form the mounting for a Britannia quick release towing hook and a small bridle winch is located neatly beneath the hook pedestal.

Farset is powered by two Volvo Penta D12-550 diesels, each rated at 550 bhp (408kW) at 1900rev/min. The new vessel is a replacement for the tug David Andrews , a vessel of 6 1/2 tonnes bollard pull that has now been retired, and complimentary to the tug/workboat Vera Lockhart .

Farset arrived in Belfast early in the morning on Sunday 3 August and within minutes was involved on her 'first job', to assist the mt Severn Fisher . That operation went very well and a few days later the vessel was engaged in its first operation as 'stern tug' to the 4860grt general cargo ship Socofi Wind . This proved to be a real test for Farset , which was towed by the ship stern first for over a mile, giving steering assistance where necessary throughout the passage.

Boatmasters Albert Ferran and Jason Mitchell expressed their satisfaction with the way the 15.4m twin-screw tug/workboat handled. A bollard pull of 14.6 tonnes is a great advantage and the ability to control the bridle (gob) winch remotely from within the wheelhouse has reduced the risk to deckhands, improved communications and the reaction time in complying with pilot's requests.

Since then Farset has been used in a wide range of operations and has proved to be an important addition to the fleet. The vessel operates alongside the Vera Lockhart , asingle screw Volvo powered tug of 200bhp built in 1974 and itted with a steerable Kort nozzle.

Vera Lockhart is an incredibly successful boat, with a 3 tonne bollard pull, designed by Hampshire naval architect Ian Darley and built in Southampton.

Ferran also operate two other Darley designed launch tugs the Eileen and Sally , small handy, single screw vessels of 2 tonnes bollard pull.

Among the many services supplied by David Ferran & Sons is the provision of a specially trained 'Quick Response Team' to deal with oil spillage and environmental emergencies in the port of Belfast, Belfast Lough and Larne Lough. This service is carried out under sub-contract to the local towage concern Svitzer Marine Ltd and required staff qualifications to meet the MCA Wk type 1p-5p and IMO level 1-3 standards. This close working relationship with Svitzer extends to the supply of back-up deckhands for their tug fleet.

Ferran Port Services are responsible for the day-to-day operation, manning and maintenance of the three pilot boats forming the pilotage fleet for the port of Belfast.

All three boats PB2, PB3 and PB4 are Halmatic Nelson 44s.

The long association with VT Halmatic is the result of many years of involvement in the specification, procurement, maintenance and refitting of this small but important fleet.

One of the boats, PB2 is currently undergoing a major ten-year refit at Halmatic's Portchester shipyard. This association also extends to the use of Volvo diesel engines which are used to power the pilot boats, Vera Lockhart andwere the natural choice when decisions were made regarding propulsion machinery for the Farset of Belfast .