Dredging 'without a doubt the most important thing' in Whitby and Scarborough harbours, says council chief
Dredging work in Whitby Harbour is progressing well, with the council’s dredger set to move to Scarborough Harbour later this year as part of an ongoing programme to tackle silt build-up in both ports.
Cllr Mark Crane, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, said the dredger would leave Whitby towards the end of the year and begin its next dredging campaign in Scarborough.
He added that the vessel would then enter dry dock in the New Year for maintenance and repairs.
The update marks the latest stage in a dredging programme that the council has previously described as vital to the operation of both harbours.
Earlier this year, the authority welcomed a decision by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to relax restrictions on dredging in Whitby Harbour.
At the time, Chris Bourne, North Yorkshire Council’s head of harbours and coastal infrastructure, said dredging operations had been hampered by licence conditions, including a 5,000-tonne monthly limit on the quantity of material that could be removed.
Speaking in March, he said: “We’ve been working very, very hard to try to remove or relax those conditions and I’m pleased to say that last week the MMO did agree to remove the 5,000-tonne limit per month on dredging.”
Mr Bourne said the change would allow the council to increase the scale of its dredging activities, subject to weather and sea conditions.
He described dredging as “without a doubt the most important thing in both of the harbours.”
The council resumed dredging operations in Whitby last year after securing a new licence for its dredger, Sandsend, following a period when no dredging was undertaken.
At the time, harbour officials said the vessel would operate in both Whitby and Scarborough, with dredging expected to continue throughout the year.
Dredging removes accumulated silt and sediment from the seabed, helping to maintain water depths for fishing vessels, commercial craft and other harbour users.
The latest update did not specify when the Scarborough campaign would begin or how much material has been removed from Whitby Harbour since restrictions were relaxed.