The House of Commons parliamentary debate opened with Michael Fabricant MP setting out the unique contribution the waterways make from the economic impact through to the huge social and environmental benefits to society. The debate heard how the outcome of the UK Government’s review of the funding contract beyond 2027 is awaited. The current grant is fixed until 2027 and is declining both in real terms and as a proportion of total income. MPs spoke about how, with the increased threat from climate change events not envisaged in 2012, expenditure is increasing on the core national infrastructure. Continue reading “Future of the UK waterways debated in Parliament”
Inland Waterways
New report values benefits of UK waterways
The UK All Party Parliamentary Group for Waterways has published a headline report setting out the economic and social value of its 250-year-old waterway network.
Presenting the report to MPs, chief executive, Richard Parry, announced that the combined annual economic and social value of the waterways amounts to £6.1 billion. This includes £1.5 billion annual economic value from water-based tourism and jobs, and annual social value of £4.6 billion, which includes £1.1 billion cost saving to the NHS from active use of the waterways and the towpaths. Continue reading “New report values benefits of UK waterways”
CRT publishes Boater Report 2022
The Canal & River Trust has published its Boater Report 2022 into how it generates its income and how that money is invested on behalf of its licence holders. Income for the year remained broadly stable and the Trust was able to increase the amount spent on core maintenance and repair works
The Boater Report 2022 highlights examples of the work the Trust carries out to keep the waterways safe and open for navigation, including 451 planned repairs and 52 arising and emergency repairs. Over the year the Trust replaced 132 lock gates, dredged 37km and removed almost 125,500 tonnes of silt. Continue reading “CRT publishes Boater Report 2022”
River Canal Rescue’s callouts set to reach an all-time high by the end of the year.
The inland waterways rescue organisation, River Canal Rescue, says figures up to September 30 are already 3318, ahead of 3235 logged for 2021, and 2850 rescues in 2020.
The callouts have generally been for electrical, fuel and engine issues, flat batteries, over-heating and gear box failures, with River Canal Rescue saying the rise is due to the high number of people unable to visit and maintain their boats during lockdown, resulting in minor niggles now becoming larger problems.
“Figures are currently at an unseasonable high and we still Continue reading “River Canal Rescue’s callouts set to reach an all-time high by the end of the year.”
Canal & River Trust Annual Report 2021/22 published
The Canal & River Trust 2021/22 Annual Report & Accounts document a continued rise in use of the towpath with nearly 800 million individual visits across the year and a record summer for boating once the waterways were able to re-open in May 2021 for unrestricted navigation. It is also the second year to be severely affected by Covid-19.
Accounting for variances relating to the pandemic, income for the year remained broadly stable, and the Trust was able to increase the amount spent on core maintenance and repair works Continue reading “Canal & River Trust Annual Report 2021/22 published”
MAIB report into the flooding and sinking of survey workboat Bella published
On 6 July 2021, the UK survey workboat Bella flooded and sank while carrying out hydrographic survey operations in the approaches to Lynmouth, England. Bella’s crew abandoned into the liferaft and were rescued uninjured by a local boat owner; there was no pollution.
Safety Issues
– The survey workboat Bella was vulnerable to swamping, even in moderate sea conditions because its multibeam echo sounder gantry reduced its forward freeboard.
– Despite being issued with the necessary certification, Bella was not compliant with The Workboat Code; shortcomings in construction and means of flotation were missed during the certifying survey due to the surveyor’s overreliance on Recreational Craft Directive documentation. Continue reading “MAIB report into the flooding and sinking of survey workboat Bella published”
UK boat licence fees set to increase from 1 October 2022
In light of soaring inflation, which is impacting the costs required to keep the waterways safe and navigable, the Canal & River Trust has annouced an inflationary rise of 4% in UK boat licence fees from 1 October 2022. This is in conjunction with cost saving measures that the Trust is taking and actions to increase income from other sources.
Whilst recognising that a second increase in fees this year is regrettable, the Trust is facing significant increases in a range of its costs – notably the prices of energy, fuel, materials and other construction costs which are rising by more than headline consumer inflation rates, Continue reading “UK boat licence fees set to increase from 1 October 2022”
UK boating numbers on canals and rivers increase
The UK Canal and River Trust’s national boat count shows an increase in boaters using the canals across England and Wales over the last three years. The last full annual boat count took place in 2019, with the pandemic affecting the counts scheduled for 2020 and 2021. The count reveals that the number of boaters rose by 3.3 per cent across England and Wales and there was also a licence compliance rate of 94.1 per cent.
Over the course of the last three years the survey shows a slight drop in the percentage of licensed boats, down from 96.5 per cent in 2019 to 94.1 per cent this year, together with an increase in boats taking a licence without a home mooring Continue reading “UK boating numbers on canals and rivers increase”
Inland Boatbuilding Association Code of Practice updated
British Marine chose the recent Crick Boat Show to release and publish the updated Inland Boatbuilding Association Code of Practice.
The updated code brings in the changes to the national recreational craft regulations, a set of legal requirements that cover all recreational craft between 2.5m and 24m length, following the UK’s exit from the European Union, along with new updated guidance on hybrid and electric propulsion installations.
Developed by British Marine and the Inland Boatbuilding Association in support of the canal boat industry, the Inland Boatbuilding Code of Practice provides a simplification Continue reading “Inland Boatbuilding Association Code of Practice updated”
River Canal Rescue reports 171 major incidents in 2021 on UK canals including sunken vessels
River Canal Rescue has published its 2021 statistics and reports it responded to 171 major incidents during the year with emergency situations either involving submerged, partially sunken or grounded craft, plus salvage work.
The figure is 25 per cent lower than the 231 incidents River Canal Rescue reported in 2020, which the organisation says is primarily due to a reduction in boat use until lockdown restrictions eased in June 2021. Between June and December however, there was a peak in call-outs which continued into January Continue reading “River Canal Rescue reports 171 major incidents in 2021 on UK canals including sunken vessels”
Marine surveying and IIMS stalwart Jeffrey Casciani-Wood has passed away
News reached the IIMS Head Office late in the evening on 16th February to inform us that Eur.Ing Jeffrey Casciani-Wood CEng, FRINA, HonMIIMS, FLLA, FIDiagE 1930-2022 (known simply to some as Mog) had passed away peacefully following a short illness.
Known to many in the marine surveying and diagnostic engineering fields, Jeffrey’s passing leaves a huge hole in the IIMS family. His longevity and desire to continue to contribute to Institute life into his 90s marks him out as a unique and inspirational character. He was IIMS President from 1997-2000. There are many superlative adjectives and words that could be used to describe Mog, and all would be appropriate. Words and phrases such as a heavyweight, a legend, a giant, a humourist, consummate author, ‘good bloke’ and gentleman all Continue reading “Marine surveying and IIMS stalwart Jeffrey Casciani-Wood has passed away”
UK inland waterways popularity surges according to the Annual Lockage Report
The Canal & River Trust says that waterways activity in 2021 surged in popularity post lockdown. The Canal & River Trust’s Annual Lockage Report for 2021 shows that as Covid-19 restrictions lifted in the spring, most places recorded counts that were close to pre-pandemic levels and a boom in lock use.
“The last two years have been like no other, with the lifting of pandemic restrictions resulting in increases in lock use that are unprecedented in the 21 years of preparing this report,” said Adam Comerford, national hydrology manager at the Canal & River Trust.
The Annual Lockage Report, now in its 21st year, shows how many times locks were used across the charity’s 2,000 miles of waterways compared to the Continue reading “UK inland waterways popularity surges according to the Annual Lockage Report”