Much needed supplies are arriving by container ship from the Virgin Islands but the harbour is littered with debris, blocking passage to the jetty.

A Royal Navy frigate has been tasked to clear the harbour of as much debris as possible which will allow relief vessels a clear passage to the jetty but the harbour is too shallow and the entrance too narrow for the frigate to enter. A smaller vessel will have to be launched to clear the way for the relief vessels.

This looks like a job for the 'Young Engineers', a UK network of engineering clubs for youngsters which is part of the Royal Academy of Engineering's 'Better Engineering, Science & Technology' (Best) Programme, offering young people aged seven and upwards opportunities to gain an understanding of engineering and its importance in the world.

Working with the Royal Navy, the Young Engineers organised 'Operation Storm', a national challenge in which 36 school teams in three age groups from across the UK took part. Faced with the above scenario, each team had to design a remote controlled vessel capable of dealing with the problem, outline the materials to be used, devise construction methods plus development and testing proposals.

The finalists had to sea test their craft through a constructed harbour entrance at HMS Sultan in Gosport recently, with each team getting two five minute runs to remove as much debris as possible.

Chief judge Stuart Vincent from the Nuclear Department at HMS Sultan said, 'We tried to make the challenge really hard and I was astounded at how well the students did.

Although no team actually cleared the harbour completely in the five minutes allowed, several got much closer than we had anticipated. All the judges were hugely impressed.'

In a day full of excitement, teams had the opportunity to sit in the cockpits of helicopters and a Sea Harrier, talk to Naval officers and view interesting displays. The Group 1 winners, Belinda Jeffries (14) and Jay Ashmore (13) from Coventry, were treated to a flight in a Lynx helicopter around the Solent.

Belinda said, 'This was absolutely amazing and the best part was when we lifted off and the pilot tilted the nose of the aircraft. Very exciting!'

MJ Information No: 20711