North Yorkshire Council has announced that they are bringing dredging operations at Scarborough and Whitby harbours back in-house following challenges with the previous outsourced arrangement.
This decision comes as the harbours face increasing siltation, causing concern for navigation and the smooth operation of harbour activities.
The council's Head of Harbours and Coastal Infrastructure, Chris Bourne, acknowledged that the current dredging situation is "not good enough" and attributed this partly to "commercial reasons". He assured that the council is committed to improving the situation by assuming direct control of the dredging operations.
The council owns a large dredging vessel named "Sand's End", which is currently docked at Endeavor Wharf in Whitby. The vessel is ready for operation once new dredging licences are granted. However, bringing the dredging operation in-house has created the need to recruit a new Dredger Master to operate "Sand's End".
Chris Bourne says the position is currently being advertised, and in the interim, agency staff will be employed if licences are issued before a permanent appointment is made.
While awaiting the new licences, harbour staff are actively monitoring dredging depths to ensure continued navigability. Despite their efforts, some groundings have occurred, highlighting the urgency of the situation. The council says it is committed to mitigating the issue and anticipates that the new licences will be granted shortly.
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