Maritime Buoy Replacement To Get Underway
Minister of Transport Walter Roban today [Nov 19] advised that the Aids to Navigation Section within the Department of Marine & Ports will purchase 24 channel buoys and 6 new lighting systems for deployment around the island on various marine navigation structures.
The $182,000 contract with Tideland Signal Corporation in Houston, Texas over a three year period will allow the Department to continue a buoy replacement project started in 2009 that will see the island’s continued transition from the older style red and green painted steel buoys to a modern generation of plastic buoys that are nearly maintenance free and have a design life of 20 years.
Minister Roban said: “Key channel areas such as the Narrows Channel off of St. Georges, as well as inshore channels in St. George’s and Hamilton Harbour are expected to benefit from these new buoys being deployed in the months ahead.
“I am also pleased that the Bermuda Government was able to move swiftly and take advantage of an opportunity that arose with Tideland Signal to purchase twenty of the smaller harbour buoys for $1,800 each – or better than half the normal price – after the company had a much larger order cancellation.”
The Minister added: “Not only will Bermuda continue to meet its international obligations for marine ship channel marking, but local mariners should also be pleased with these polystyrene buoys that they will see deployed in coastal waters in due course. The migration towards self contained LED lighting technology that includes batteries and solar cells in one tidy package is also being continued and this will further ensure reliability of vital navigation aids throughout our waterways.
“Certain elements of this buoy and light purchase will also assist in our making Bermuda’s channels ready for the future prospect of Night-Time Ship Pilotage whereby commercial vessels might arrive into, and depart from our ports during the hours of darkness.”
Employees in the Section will also receive maintenance training from the manufacturer on the new lighting systems that they are responsible for repairing.
Minister Roban said: “I can only thank them for their efforts in advance as they continue to keep our vital shipping channels well marked and with the various day and night marking systems functioning in a world class condition”.
Minister Roban’s full statement follows below:
Good afternoon and thank you for coming to Dockyard.
I am happy to report today that the Aids to Navigation Section within the Department of Marine & Ports will purchase twenty four channel buoys and six new lighting systems for deployment around the island on various marine navigation structures.
The $182,000 contract with Tideland Signal Corporation in Houston, Texas over a three year period will allow the Department to continue a buoy replacement project started in 2009 that will see the island’s continued transition from the older style red and green painted steel buoys to a modern generation of plastic buoys that are nearly maintenance free and have a design life of 20 years.
Key channel areas such as the Narrows Channel off of St. Georges, as well as inshore channels in St. George’s and Hamilton Harbour are expected to benefit from these new buoys being deployed in the months ahead.
I am also pleased that the Bermuda Government was able to move swiftly and take advantage of an opportunity that arose with Tideland Signal to purchase twenty of the smaller harbour buoys for $1,800 each – or better than half the normal price – after the company had a much larger order cancellation.
Not only will Bermuda continue to meet its international obligations for marine ship channel marking, but local mariners should also be pleased with these polystyrene buoys that they will see deployed in coastal waters in due course.
The migration towards self contained LED lighting technology that includes batteries and solar cells in one tidy package is also being continued and this will further ensure reliability of vital navigation aids throughout our waterways.
Certain elements of this buoy and light purchase will also assist in our making Bermuda’s channels ready for the future prospect of Night-Time Ship Pilotage whereby commercial vessels might arrive into, and depart from our ports during the hours of darkness.
The Dockyard Aids to Navigation (ATON) Section spearheads the maintenance work on the various offshore buoys and beacons. With their buoy tender “Dragon” just off of the slip having had maintenance completed to her hull, deck and various hydraulic systems, the ATON Section will be well equipped to commence installation work of these new buoys through the winter.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, employees in the Section have also received maintenance training from the manufacturer on the new lighting systems that they are responsible for repairing.
I can only thank them for their efforts as they continue to keep our vital shipping channels well marked and with the various day and night marking systems functioning in a world class condition
Thank you.
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Good idea, and that means that in order to save the money, M&P staff numbers will be reduced to realize the proposed savings, and they can probably use a smaller less maintenance intensive vessel to maintain the plastic buoys. Incredible though how a simple step forward like this becomes such a big deal worthy of press announcements etc. Must be an election coming…
Does Ruban even know what a buoy is?
if it ain’t broken don’t throw money at it thinking a miracle will appear.
Does Roban know that the sea around Bermuda is salty and wet?
So did we just buy the buoys from them or are they installing them as well?
Was there a request for proposal or was this a deal made with the normal greasy palms?
Sooooo when can we expect the announcement of the downsizing of the M&P maintenance section at Dockyard? I mean if these buoys don’t require maintenance the we don’t need to pay people who were formally needed to maintain the steel buoys now we Mr Roban?
Want to see wasted labour rivaling Works & Engineering road crews? Take a ride past the Marine & Ports maintenance sheds & railway in Dockyard any day of the week.