Trinity House showed off their new £3.8 million ‘rapid intervention vessel’ ,Alert, at Harwich yesterday. The 40 m twin screw launch was ordered from Polish builders following the sinking off Dunkirk in 2002 of Tricolor, the Japanese car carrier transporting 2,862 BMWs and Volvos after a collision with a container ship. Despite being marked by buoys, two other ships hit Tricolor before she was salvaged.

Alert, can steam at 18 knots, and is designed to be in the Dover Strait within six hours of leaving Harwich, in case of another such sinking. Trinity House fear a ‘motorway pile up’ in the busy strait in which a ship enters every three minutes.

Trinity House also showed the press around their buoy-maintenance plant and discussed future plans on e-navigation. See Yachting Monthly September issue for details.