PORTS of Jersey has purchased a six-year-old workboat – now its largest workboat – from the Netherlands, which is expected to undertake ‘commercial work’.
A bottle of champagne was smashed against the hull of ‘Elisa’ to bless the boat and wish it good luck this week.
According to Ports of Jersey, the new vessel will spend the majority of its time in northern Europe, supporting marine projects there.
Ports of Jersey head of marine services Donford Nicholas said: ‘Our small fleet of workboats is key to our ability to invest in Jersey’s future.’
A budget of £5 million derived from Ports of Jersey’s commercial revenue is going towards the purchase and marketing of the vessel.
Mr Nicholas added: ‘As always, any profit from our operating activities off-Island is ploughed straight back into the business, as we continue to develop and invest in our services for the benefit of Islanders, visitors and businesses.
‘The Elisa was built by Damen, and we hope to continue our business relationship with these shipbuilders as we look to the future introduction of a sustainable tug dedicated to the Island.’
Built in 2017, The Elisa is too large to be registered in Jersey and has instead been registered in Gibraltar.
The new workboat will undertake commercial work alongside the Duchess and the Duke of Normandy vessels.
