Kraken and Coral Star ferry operators embroiled in health and safety battle with Yarmouth Harbour Master

THE operators of two popular island ferries say their services will not be returning to Lymington this year due to an ongoing dispute with Yarmouth’s harbour master.

Tim and Michelle Anderson, who own and operate MV Kraken and MV Coral Star as part of Anderson Boat Cruises out of Yarmouth, said their business has been unable to operate for months because they have not been issued passenger safety certificates.

The couple, who aimed to have a regular Yarmouth to Lymington service up and running from July, said they have not ruled out relocating their business to Lymington despite not wanting to quit the island.

Michelle has also written to the transport minister to complain about the ongoing situation, and said she is prepared to sail her vessels up the Thames to Parliament to highlight the problems her business is facing.

She told the A&T she is “baffled” by the decision of Yarmouth’s harbour master Tim Adams not to issue passenger safety certificates for either of her vessels, especially after the 110-seat Kraken was issued a Maritime and Coastguard Agency safety certificate.

In response, Mr Adams told the A&T: “Yarmouth Harbour Commissioners continue to engage and have ongoing dialogue with directors and representatives of (the business) to find solutions for the proposed passenger service.”

Michelle told the A&T that Lymington’s harbour master and commissioner had been “more than accommodating”, by contrast.

“New Forest District Council has also been very helpful,” she said “We deal with them a lot because our boats come into the town quay and up Lymington River.

“But for some reason our harbour master is throwing his toys out of the pram - it’s baffling.

“He’s saying we can’t have mooring for the Coral Star in Yarmouth for heath and safety reasons - and he’s giving the same reason for not letting the Kraken operate. But his risk assessment has been going on for the best part of a year by now.

“This does affect Lymington a lot - it affects students coming from the island to Brockenhurst College. Ferries off the island can be pretty dreadful and we offer an alternative.”

Currently the MV Coral Star is at a private mooring up the River Yar, while the Kraken sits unable to operate commercially in the Coral Star’s former mooring at Yarmouth harbour.

Michelle said the 15m MV Kraken is “brand new”, adding: “There’s no good reason to keep her out of action.

“All the harbour master has said is that this is about health and safety - there have been no specifics, it’s all gobbledygook.”

Michelle said Yarmouth’s harbour master would like to see the Kraken operate from the end of the pier, but she said: “Because of the way you need to board the boat, working off the pier at Yarmouth would be no good, especially for people with disabilities or mums with young children and pushing prams.

“If operating off the pier doesn’t increase health and safety risks, I don’t know what would.”

Michelle said: “People won’t be seeing either of our vessels in Lymington River any more - it would be a four-hour round trip for Coral Star to go from Cowes to Lymington and back if we had to moor at Cowes.”

She said she could not rule out the possibility her vessels may have to relocate to Lymington, but added: “I don’t really want to move to Lymington because we live on the island.

“We employ people from the island, and we have lost employees over this because we’ve not been able to offer them work.”

Michelle said the Coral Star had been operating between April and October for the last ten years, making journeys to the Needles and to Lymington “because the market is so good”.

She added: “I would say we’ve lost about 80% of our trade this year over this.

“Coral Star’s season would be finishing around now anyway, so the Kraken would usually kick in during the winter and take over its routes, but not this year.

“Yarmouth’s harbour master doesn’t seem to understand the harbour needs the town, and the town needs the harbour. This is really starting to feel like a personal vendetta.”