POLLUTION CONTROL

Joint venture looks to clean up

13 years ago

A joint venture between Portsmouth based shallow water specialist Harbour Clean and Hull based boatbuilder Envirocat (MMS Ship Repair Ltd) looks set to offer a cost effective solution to the growing problems of floating debris control and small oil spill response throughout harbours and inland waterways of the UK.

The 9m floating debris/oil spill collection Envirocat is to be operated by Harbour Clean

Utilising the innovative Envirocat 9m workboat, the Harbour Clean service offers port authorities, marina managers and canal operators a cost effective solution to the collection of eyesore litter and oil sheens that blight areas of water that are either too shallow or remote for conventional removal processes. The service is also ideally suited for the regular maintenance of open harbour water, docks or waterways where larger floating items, such as baulks of timber, plastic sheeting and semi-submerged drums can cause a hazard to safe navigation.

The all aluminium Envirocat, developed by MMS Ship Repair & Dry Dock, is road transportable and operates single handed in inland waters. Both waste and oil collection is hydraulically controlled from the wheelhouse whilst a 1.8 tonne deck crane turns the catamaran’s stable platform into a multi-purpose workboat suitable for marine civils support, harbour survey work and diving.

Commenting at the handover of the new vessel, Harbour Clean’s marine manager, Sean Moth said: “The Envirocat offers a valuable multi-purpose boost to our fleet of amphibious and shallow draft workboats which already offer debris collection and weed cutting services in harbours and waterways throughout the UK. In these cost conscious times, I envisage the new service to be shared among several neighbouring facilities so that regular maintenance, and emergency clean-up and recovery, can be effected at realistic and affordable rates.”

Commenting on the joint venture, Envirocat managing director, Rob Langton said, “We chose Harbour Clean as partners due to their ‘will do’ attitude towards a range of marine maintenance operations. The joint venture will provide immediate feedback to the yard on the performance and capability of the Envirocat design so that we can consistently improve the Envirocat range to meet the ever changing needs of the workboat sector. Already we have sold the first production boat to a UAE customer and the Harbour Clean boat is in demand for demonstrations.”