Sunken boats will be cleared quicker

AT LAST Canal & River Trust has sorted out the problem of raising sunken boats in locks, by giving the contract to the company capable of doing it efficiently and quickly—River Canal Rescue (RCR).

An example of the problem was at Wash House Lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Bath where the company the Trust employed to raise a sunken boat struggled for two weeks to raise a sunken Anglo Welsh hire boat, (pictured) but could not manage it, trying for nearly a week without success. The exasperated Trust finally brought in RCR that did the job in just two hours! (RCR raised lock-stricken boat.)

Speed up the time it takes

So in a bid to speed up the time it takes to raise sunken boats and keep the waterways clear, River Canal Rescue has been pre-authorised by the Canal & River Trust to salvage craft, to work within specified parameters, having provided the Trust with the required detailed risk assessments and method statements that meet the requirements of its protocols.

Both parties agreed to pilot the scheme during the summer when RCR attended 21 sinking emergencies—all of which were resolved within 24hrs of the situation arising, keeping the waterways open and minimising disruption to other boaters, benefiting everyone.

The above picture depicts a difficult rescue in the fast flowing Nene (Nene boat rescued) that RCR again efficiently managed.

RCR Managing Director, Stephanie Horton, comments:

"This is a very welcome development for us, it means we can cut out the paperwork and get straight to the rescue, rather than wait for approval. In a sinking situation, many boat owners call the fire brigade first, but this can often hinder the salvage operation and create environmental issues through oil, fuel and anti-freeze pollution. Call the Canal & River Trust first, and its teams, working in tandem with us, will take control of the situation.

"The other key factor is that most insurance companies expect you to take action to mitigate loss in situations like this and a fast recovery reduces the amount of damage a vessel suffers and helps to keep insurance claims low."

Contact the Trust

Trust Waterways Manager (West Midlands), Ian Lane adds:

"The first instinct may be to call a land-based emergency service, and if lives are at threat this may be necessary, but in most cases people should just make things safe and contact us so we can assist where necessary by putting out booms to reduce pollution, manage traffic or close off water feeds or the towpath.

"Customers then need to decide how they will deal with the boat. Recovery of sunken craft is the responsibility of the boat owner and those in difficulty are free to use their own contractors, but anyone planning to bring plant/lifting equipment on-site or use non-emergency service divers must meet our risk management requirements; otherwise they will not be given permission to raise the vessel. Our top priority is the safety of boat owners and those around them, on water or land."

Both parties agree the beauty of having pre-authorised contractors is that the process enables work to be undertaken quickly and safely within 24 hours, reducing damage to the craft and the time the canal is affected.