Back in May (2024) we posted about the lack of dredging in Whitby Harbour. In response to one of our queries, (Harbour Master) Mr Pearson replied that “We conduct regular sounding surveys, so that we can monitor dredged depths and identify key target areas which need our attention. Where possible we try to maintain depths to be around 1.4m below chart datum, which cannot be guaranteed due to the occasional rapid siltation”.
Mr Pearson did not provide any further details about these sounding surveys, and a recent FOI has managed to extract the details from NYC of these “frequent surveys”. It turns out that in the whole of 2023 and 2024, there have been just 2 sounding surveys … one of the upper harbour (Oct 2023), and one of the lower harbour (Feb 2024)! Given that the Oxford English Dictionary defines “frequent” as “Happening or occurring at short intervals; often recurring; coming or happening in close succession” we note that Mr Pearson has adopted the modern political practice of redefining words. Bowel movements are “frequent” (or should be), the sounding surveys have been anything but frequent. At just 1 sounding of the lower harbour in a 24 months timeframe (and the same in the upper harbour), that is a very extravagant description of something that is hardly ever done.
Moving on to the surveys themselves, they show depths as follows (click on the image for a zoomed in image)
With reference to where NYC will be dredging when they ever get a licence to dredge, the response says “The main channel is as far as possible, maintained at a depth of 1.4m below chart datum level. A key target area is an area which falls well below the 1.4m below chart datum.
i.e. On the lower harbour survey, an area south of the Bull Noses towards the Bandstand/ Scotch Head area, the sounding falls down to 0.8m this will be a Key Target Area.”
Given that there seemingly have been no soundings in the last 9 months (none in the upper harbour in more than a year), and no dredging either, one has to conclude that these surveys are somewhat out of date.
It begs the question does this harbour authority really have everything under control?
