July VTS Centre Visit
On 24th July nine members from the Bristol Branch visited the marine planning and VTS centre of the Bristol Port Company. The building is located on the South pier at Avonmouth Docks and is responsible for shipping movements between the Holme Islands, beyond Weston-super-Mare, and The Shoots, by the newest Severn bridge, as well as the River Avon to Bristol. We were given a detailed assessment of the many factors which have to be considered when ships arrive or sail. The tidal conditions can be testing as the Severn estuary has the second highest tidal range in the world and Panamax vessels are not uncommon in the container, tanker and coal trades. At the other end of the scale small coasters can be pilot-free and need a different approach. There is also an increasing number of leisure vessels in use with the Portishead marina facilities nearby. It was a very interesting visit and will certainly help us to understand what is happening when we are ship-spotting at Battery Point. We we...