Trinity House recently swapped the Channel Lightvessel for a Type 1 Buoy.
THV Patricia towed the Channel Lightvessel away and in its place, THV Galatea laid a Safe Water Mark Buoy.
The change was made following a review that determined that the marine traffic patterns in the area were well established. However as the Channel Lightvessel had been such a prominent physical mark, the decision was made to replace it with the largest type of buoy, to enable position verification in the area.
The Type 1 Buoy now in place, is complete with meteorological and hydrographic equipment and its 9NM lantern, position and battery condition are all monitored at Trinity House's 24/7 Planning Centre in Harwich.
Click here to watch a video of the buoy being deployed, filmed by THV Galatea Officer Storm Smith-Suckoo.