Nick Gibb MP visited the Littlehampton Harbour Board with Harbourmaster, Billy Johnson.
The Littlehampton Harbour Board and the Harbourmaster are responsible for the maintenance of the river mouth structures - the two “harbour arms” and the training wall. They are also responsible for dredging the harbour to allow access for boats.
The Harbourmaster provides a piloting service for larger vessels (64 to 80 metres); he charts and maps the harbour, monitors its depth and clears any wreckage from the riverbed. In the last year Billy Johnson and his team cleared and salvaged three large and two small boats which had sunk.
The Harbour Board employ five full-time staff and three part-time.
Billy Johnson has been the Harbourmaster for six years, having previously worked as a hydrographer at Southampton Harbour. Prior to that he had spent eight years in the Royal Navy, rising to the rank of Lieutenant.
Nick Gibb said: “The River Arun and Littlehampton Harbour are the jewels in the crown for Littlehampton. A seaside town with a beautiful river and harbour are rare combinations. Our Harbour Board and Harbourmaster do a wonderful job maintaining and supervising the river and the activities that take place on the river.
“Our turquoise river and harbour are something we can all be proud of.”
Photo: Nick Gibb with Harbourmaster, Billy Johnson.