Why this boat is carrying out vital work in the River Wear

Port of Sunderland has brought in the 85-metre long trailing suction hopper dredger UKD Marlin to clear silt from the river floor in the mouth of the river and around the port itself.

She is designed for use in the open sea and estuaries with the manoeuvrability to work in enclosed docks and can release the materials gathered via bottom doors or pump it ashore.

UKD Marlin is being helped by UKD Seahorse, a 25-metre Multicat, a multi-purpose dredging support vessel which has bed-levelling, buoy handling and survey capability, and a Cheetah catamaran hydrographic survey boat called 66K.

Work began yesterday, Wednesday, June 24, and is scheduled to take until Monday, July 6.

In a notice from the port, bosses have said the UKD Marlin will be making regular trips to an offshore disposal site out at sea.

Masters and others in charge of shops and small crafts have been warned: “navigate with caution in the vicinity of dredging operations, keep well clear of associated craft and pay strict attention to information issued by Sunderland Local Port Services.”

It adds: “Priority should be given to the movement of the dredger at all times.”

Captain Kevin Ullah, Harbour Master of Port of Sunderland, said: “The works are being completed by Cardiff-based UK Dredging, which is a division of Associated British Ports, and the UKD Marlin is a trailing hopper suction dredger.

“Her schedule of works includes removing spoil from the outer and inner harbours up to the western end of Corporation Quay.

“Spoil from her works is being taken to an offshore disposal site two miles east of the harbour entrance, this is a charted spoil ground.

“The works are part of the annual maintenance dredging campaign aimed at keeping the navigational channel and operational berths in the river as close as possible to advertised depth.

“These works are generally completed during the summer months as weather conditions are normally more favourable.

“A third vessel, 66K, which is a seven-metre catamaran, is also completing a hydrographic survey that is mapping the river bed and recording depths before and after dredging.”

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