Olympic boat takes to the water in Emsworth - 7/5/12
More than 1,000 people saw the launch of an Olympic boat built from 1,200 pieces of wood, including bits from the Mary Rose and Jimi Hendrix's guitar. The 30ft yacht, named Collective Spirit, will sail along the south coast of England from July in the run-up to the Olympics. The boat will arrive at the sailing venue in Weymouth and Portland, Dorset, in time for the Games in August. It took to the water in Emsworth, Hampshire.
The artists who came up with the idea, Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan, visited 20 locations across the region seeking wooden donations to be used in the building of the craft. The pair, known as Lone Twin, also invited members of the public to bring wooden pieces to their boatyard at Thornham Marina, Emsworth, from where it was launched. The only criteria were that the items were made from wood and had a story behind them.
Posted 08/05/2012 13:36
MMO Approves Licences for the Port of Southampton - 30/4/12
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has today announced it has approved licences for ABP Southampton for works and associated dredging at berths 201 and 202 at the port of Southampton.
Posted 30/04/2012 22:41
MMO Publishes Guidance Note on Navigational Dredging and Licensing - 23/4/12
The MMO has published Navigation Dredging Operational Guidance. View at http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/licensing/marine/documents/navigational_dredging_guidance.pdf.
The introduction of the Marine and Coastal Access Act made the operation of maintenance dredging licensable for the first time. The act provided a year’s grace to allow operators time for compliance. This transitional period has now been extended until April 2014.
This extension of the transitional period will allow further time to review the licensing of dredging, explore the scope to exempt certain low risk activities and help prepare operators for implementation.
While most ongoing maintenance dredging activities are unlikely to need licensing during this period, operators will need to apply for a marine licence where an environmental assessment is required in order to ensure compliance with the relevant EU legislation.
Posted 25/04/2012 10:02
Gosport to Fareham transit route opens to traffic - 23/4/12
A £20m rapid bus transit route in Hampshire has opened and is carrying its first passengers. The Bus Rapid Transit scheme links Gosport to Fareham along a disused railway line. It means buses can bypass the congested A32 and the route links housing estates with the two town centres.
Two new Eclipse bus services will run the route every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays. Originally a tram was planned, which was to go through a tunnel beneath Portsmouth Harbour, but the proposal proved too expensive.
Planting and acoustic fencing has been installed on the route to reduce the impact on residents.
Posted 23/04/2012 09:06
Skipper and crewman rescued from sinking Portsmouth trawler - 23/4/12
A skipper and his crewman were rescued from a fishing trawler just seconds before it sank off the Hampshire coast. Solent Coastguard received a Mayday call from the skipper of Sea Bird P283, reporting that they were sinking one-and-half miles from Langstone Harbour.
The two men were recovered by a Portsmouth RNLI Lifeboat on Sunday afternoon. The 36ft (11m) trawler, which had 1,000 litres of diesel onboard, sank. The Portsmouth registered trawler used a hand flare to confirm its position at about 15:00 BST.
Posted 23/04/2012 09:10
Navy's HMS Dragon commissioned at Portsmouth Naval Base - 20/4/12
Type 45 Destroyer HMS Dragon was commissioned in a colourful 'Christening' ceremony attended by hundreds at Portsmouth Naval Base. The vessel is the fourth ship of its kind built by BAE Systems in Glasgow and will be affiliated to Cardiff.
Type 45 Destroyers are used in air defence to protect UK national and coalition forces against enemy warcraft and missiles.
Chaplain of the fleet, the Venerable Scott Brown conducted the ceremony attended by Susie Boissier from BAE Systems and Second Sea Lord, vice admiral Charles Montgomery. The hour-long ceremony was rounded off in traditional Royal Navy fashion by the cutting of a commissioning cake.
Posted 20/04/2012 13:46
Southampton Remembers the Titanic - 10/4/12
More than 600 hundred children will parade through Southampton holding placards of all those Southampton residents who served as crew members on the RMS Titanic. This will be a poignant tribute to the men and women who lost their lives in the disaster. The event, on Tuesday 10 April, staged by Southampton City Council in partnership with the BBC, schools and community groups from across the city will mark the opening of the SeaCity Museum.
The children will carry placards representing the 897 crew members from the Titanic, 714 of whom were from Southampton. In total 685 crew members lost their lives, with 538 registered to a Southampton address. Their names, along with any other known information will be inscribed onto the back of placards, with an image of the crew member on the front.
Posted 10/04/2012 09:26
Tracing the changes of Portsmouth and Southampton - 4/4/12
The Friends of Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology (HWTMA) have received a
£49,900 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for an exciting project led by volunteers from the local communities of Portsmouth and Southampton. The project, entitled Art to Sea, focuses on the changing faces of local areas, particularly in the maritime related sectors.
Volunteer researchers will examine historical documents and compare historic images with
contemporary equivalents. This work will be complemented by the recording of living memories, to ensure that the records of older generations are documented. The project will culminate in an exhibition of these ‘maritime memories’.
For more information or to get involved, visit http://art2sea.hwtma.org.uk/.
Posted 17/04/2012 14:00
Underwater pipeline begins routing gas to Isle of Wight - 23/3/12
The £20m, 3.8km pipe runs from Lepe in the New Forest to Gurnard, near Cowes, up to 30m beneath the Solent seabed. It replaces three old lines from the mainland to the island installed in the 1960s. The pipeline's construction by Southern Gas Networks (SGN), which began 18 months ago, is believed to be the longest drill of its kind.
The pipe, which will serve about 56,000 people on the island, was put in place using two separate tunnels drilled underneath the seabed from both sides of the water. Once the drill heads met in the middle the new gas mains were pulled through and the supply connected.
The firm is now waiting for official recognition from the Guinness Book of Records for the longest directional drill of its kind.
Posted 23/03/2012 14:17
Southampton's Titanic themed exhibition opens - 19/3/12
An exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster has opened at Southampton City Art Gallery. More than 300 pieces of artwork were submitted by residents from Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Wiltshire and Dorset to a competition held on the theme.
Posted 19/03/2012 09:14
Who Went Boating in 2011? - 15/3/12
The 10th Watersports and Leisure Participation report from the British Marine Federation is now available to download for free – find out who went boating by boat type, demographics, frequency and location and what boats are owned in the UK.
This survey of 12,000 adults has been tracking trends in boating for a decade to give BMF members and the industry invaluable information about their market. In the current survey, we also ask about water-based activities such as angling and sub-aqua diving.
Download at http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/publications.aspx?category=StatisticsandMarketResearch.
Posted 16/03/2012 11:43
Coastal and Marine Consents Guide Edition 4 - 14/3/12
The Solent Forum has published the fourth edition of its popular Coastal and Marine Consents Guide. Targeted at marine businesses around the Solent, the Guide explains what consents are needed to undertake works and development around the coast.
The new edition of this Guide comes at an important time when there have been many changes to consenting processes due to the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Access Act, 2009 and the establishment of the Marine Management Organisation.
The online Guide has seven sections.
1. A works and development matrix to identify what consents a development or works may require.
2. A detailed section on consents to see how to apply for the consent and the factors to consider when applying.
3. Assessment pages to identify what assessments may be required to support an application.
4. A section on site designations and what these mean for the gaining of consents.
5. Pages on marine and land use planning to see how plan policies influence development or works.
6. An additional considerations section that illustrates what other factors should be taken into account when planning works or development.
7. A consents directory to find contact addresses and other sources of useful information.
The Guide has been sponsored by the Crown Estate’s Marine Communities Fund.
It can be freely viewed online at: http://www.solentforum.org/publications/coastal_consents_guide/Edition_4/.
Posted 16/03/2012 14:09
Extended transition period for low risk dredging activities - 12/3/12
The UK Government has decided to extend the current one year transition period for low risk maintenance dredging activities for a further two years in respect of English waters.
Under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (Transitional Provisions) Order 2012, which comes into force on 6 April 2012, the transitional period has been extended for two further years until 6 April 2014. Those dredging operations that will require a licence under the order are those:
* Likely to have a significant effect on a European marine site.
* Likely to adversely affect the ecological status of a water body under the Water Framework Directive.
* Be carried out as part of a project which requires assessment under the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive.
Visit http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/protect/licensing/ for more information.
Posted 13/03/2012 09:39
HMS Victory Preservation Trust - 6/3/12
The HMS Victory Preservation Trust has been set up by the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN), the new custodian of the vessel. The MoD said it would match a £25m capital grant pledged from another charity to support the new trust.
The NMRN is the sole trustee of the Royal Naval Museum which, along with the ship, is based at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
HMS Victory is the flagship of the Second Sea Lord and Commander in Chief Naval Home Command. The new arrangement means the ship's custodians will be able to apply for grants to help with its upkeep.
Work by BAE Systems Surface Ships to restore the ship under a £16m, five-year contract will continue under the responsibility of the new trust.
Posted 07/03/2012 10:09
Nuclear submarine HMS Tireless visits Southampton - 1/3/12
The navy's nuclear submarine HMS Tireless has arrived in Southampton. The Devon-based submarine, one of six serving Trafalgar-class vessels, is making a five-day official visit to the city. Dozens of sea cadets, scouts and other youngsters are expected to tour the vessel and meet its crew.
Posted 02/03/2012 10:56
