Looking after the modern mariner

The organisation deploys and manages an impressive array of nearly 600 visual, audible, electronic, fixed and floating navigational aids around the coasts, ranging from lighthouses to lightvessels and buoys.

In 2007, Trinity House took delivery of its latest vessel, THV Galatea, replacing their older vessel THV Mermaid. She was formally named by HM The Queen on 17 October 2007 and the vessel’s arrival completes a £38m investment by the General Lighthouse Authorities for its complement of three vessels.

Galatea is state-of-the-art, a significant technological leap compared to its predecessor. It has a range of high specification survey equipment, a 30-ton lift crane, a large working deck with the facility to lock containers on deck, a helicopter landing pad and a high-speed workboat.

The forward portion of the bridge has a full width ‘U’ shaped console where all of the main propulsion and navigational controls and instruments are located.

Galatea is equipped with two Rolls-Royce US205 fixed pitch azimuth thrusters with electric steering for main propulsion, assisted by two TT1850 tunnel thrusters. Other Rolls-Royce equipment includes a passive-tank stabilisation system.

Her main role is the maintenance of navigational buoys and surveying the coastline to ensure the buoys are located correctly as the channels and sand banks move. Other tasks include towing light vessels, supporting lighthouses – working with the helicopter supplying building equipment, water, fuel or any supplies required at a lighthouse station, and also the location marking and towing of wrecks.

The buoys are maintained once a year and they are replaced with new ones every five to eight years. This depends on their condition and where the buoy is positioned around the UK. Some are in offshore positions off the southwest coast and in very rough seas. In total, Trinity House maintains over 450 buoys.

According to Trinity House: ‘The Galatea is a quantum leap from what we have had in the past. I think she has revolutionised how we do our buoy work and how we operate her with dynamic positioning.’