LOGISTICS
Keeping trade flowing on the River Tees
MASTERS OF THE RIVER
As the sixth-largest port in the UK , Teesport welcomes thousands of ships from around the world to its waters each year . Overseeing the safe navigation of each vessel is the harbour master , Paul Brooks , supported by the Vessel Traffic Services team who work round the clock to keep the Tees safe and open to trade . Here , Paul explains more about the Harbour Office and the importance of keeping an eye on the weather forecast .
The River Tees is often considered the beating heart of the region .
Bringing trade , industry and commerce to Teesside , thousands of ships carry more than 28 million tonnes of goods and materials into its lower reaches each year .
The responsibility for managing the safe passage of each vessel , and those who sail on them , into Teesport and the Port of Hartlepool belongs to the harbour master , a role I have been proud to hold for more than eight years . I am employed by PD Ports which , as the Statutory Harbour Authority , is responsible for a 12-mile stretch of the Tees , including a threemile section of the North Sea .
The harbour master oversees all vessel traffic on the Tees up to the Newport Bridge and into the Port of Hartlepool and is responsible for safe navigation and maintenance of channel depth , working in partnership with PD Ports ’ Conservancy team .
Based in the harbour master ’ s office , tucked under the towering frame of the Transporter Bridge on the Middlesbrough side of the Tees , I am supported in my duties by the Vessel Traffic Service team ( VTS ), comprising seven assistant harbour masters and six VTS officers .
Using a combination of CCTV , radar and radio contact with each vessel , we manage the movements of ships moving in and around Teesport ’ s waters – not unlike air traffic control .
The Tees Harbour Office oversees the arrival of more than 4,000 ships to Teesport each year , some 9,000 vessel movements in total .
Looking back The Tees has been a trading river since Roman times .
It really started to take shape as a hub for trading in the 19th century , when river users came together with the common purpose to improve the river and make it navigable .
There would have been an informal harbour master-type role during these times , under the Tees Conservancy Commissioners , but it was with the 1847 Harbours , Docks and Piers Clauses Act – still in force today – that the rules and regulations UK ports operate under , and the role of harbour master , were created .
Not much has changed since that time .
Passage – 28 million tonnes of goods and materials come through the River Tees every year .
42 | Tees Business