Peel Ports Medway has installed five Mobilis BC1242 buoys, supplied by leading aids to navigation specialist Hydrosphere, to mark a secondary channel from the Thames Estuary to the River Medway.
The new channel improves traffic management, enabling shipping at the confluence of the Thames and Medway, to pass or overtake in this busy area.
Peel Ports Medway, Assistant Harbour Master, Guy Peto says: "I chose the Mobilis buoys as I know that they are very reliable and robust and, consequently, require minimal maintenance.
The buoys are primarily polyethylene, which in normal circumstances will not require repainting. The buoys marking this channel are special marks as defined by the I.A.L.A specification - the buoys are yellow in colour with a top mark comprising a yellow St. Andrew's cross.
The special mark, which was suggested by Peel Ports Medway in consultation with Trinity House, helps increase visibility and gives them a distinctive look."
Previously, when vessels in excess of 130m long were using the single channel it was deemed one way, but the second channel means that the stretch of water can simultaneously be used by smaller vessels.
The buoys, which were launched in August 2008, mark from the start of the channel, past the wreck of the WWII supply ship SS Richard Montgomery, to the small ships anchorage point.
The Mobilis BC1242 has a 1.24m diameter polyethylene hull and is designed for near-shore deployments where high visibility is critical. The buoys, which can be lifted by any single or combination of lifting eyes, have a modular design that allows commonality of parts and reduced maintenance.
Guy Peto adds: "The project is about traffic management, which should improve greatly with the secondary channel. Previously, ships had to slow down or wait if there was a large ship going through. I have worked with Hydrosphere for about five years now and they really do understand the sea and what we want, which is why we chose them to provide the expertise on this scheme."
The wreck of the SS Montgomery, a US Liberty Ship that ran aground on a sandbank on 20th August 1944, is close to the main approach channel. The ship whose masts are clearly visible above the water in all tides, still contains approximately 1,400 tons of explosives in her forward hold. The navigation buoys ensure that shipping has safe passage past the wreck.
Peel Ports Medway is the competent Harbour authority for the Medway Approach Channel and Statutory Harbuor Authority for a 27.3-mile stretch of the river Medway from the Medway buoy to Allington lock.
The Medway is one of the UK's most important trading arteries handling a diverse range of cargoes - from fruit and trade cars to containers and LNG cargoes.