THE Island’s new Fisheries Protection Vessel is taking shape at a boat yard in Holyhead, Anglesey, and is expected to be delivered to Jersey next July.
The £2.8m boat – which is yet to officially have a name – will replace the Norman Le Brocq which entered service in 1997. It will serve as a ‘multipurpose platform’ for enforcement, marine research, and support across Natural Environment and Government teams.
The 17m vessel will be equipped with a potting arm, hydraulic A-frame, and a stern-mounted RIB for offshore and inshore operations.
The Norman Le Brocq featured a pioneering hull design by Dunoon-based Camarc Design that became a global standard. After nearly 30 years of service, she will be succeeded by the new vessel, whose hull has also been designed by the same naval architect.
The government said that the project is progressing on time and within budget. The vessel is expected to have a 25-year design life and will continue to support official duties, including diplomatic work and burial at sea.
Asked about the differences between the Norman Le Brocq and the new vessel, Francis Binney, who is the government’s Head of Marine Resources, said: “She’s going to have a little bit more stability and a little bit more space.
“We’re also going to have upgraded radar and navigation equipment, upgraded bottom seabed mapping equipment, and just a bit more modern health and safety.
“We’ve occasionally had to limit what we can do but this new vessel is going to increase our capacity and our ability to work at sea, including how long we can be out for and the conditions we can be out in.”
Reflecting on the Norman Le Brocq’s service, he added: “She was built with a 15-year design life and we will have kept her going for 29 years by next year – so she’s served the Island well. We are now looking for someone who will look after her and make as good a use of her as we have.”
This investment in the new boat aligned with the Jersey Marine Spatial Plan and the Island’s post-Brexit fisheries strategy, he added.
The Norman Le Brocq was named after the politician, activist, trade unionist and resistance leader during the Occupation, who died in 1996.
