By Owen Evans,Tristan Cork
Copyright dailypost
A mystery man has been caught on camera untying the mooring ropes of a large vessel in Bristol’s Floating Harbour, risking “causing millions of pounds of damage or even a fatality”. There are growing concerns that a serial vandal is at large, setting free boats moored in the harbour and disconnecting power supplies during the night, following similar incidents reported recently.
The latest episode occurred last week and was captured on CCTV. In the early hours of Wednesday, September 10, at around 3am, an unidentified man approached the mooring ropes of the 200 ton research ship Lady Kate, which is berthed at Hannover Quay, adjacent to the Lloyds Amphitheatre in central Bristol.
The CCTV footage shows him lifting the mooring rope and then moving towards the middle of the boat, watching as it starts to drift away from the quayside within seconds. The individual on board at the time expressed deep concern, having since discovered that other boats have experienced similar incidents, and fears serious consequences if the perpetrator is not apprehended.
The figure spotted in the darkness on the CCTV appears to be a mature man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, trainers, dark trousers and a lighter jacket or coat with dark stripes at the elbows. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
The vessel targeted is the Lady Kate, an 80ft-long research ship belonging to a worldwide organisation known as The Extraction Action Alliance, a programme operating across 157 nations on six continents that seeks to tackle plastic pollution entering waterways and oceans, whilst also removing the enormous quantities of plastic already contaminating marine environments, reports Bristol Live.
TEAA’s head of oceans is Paul Manning, who had moored in Bristol following the vessel’s refit in Gloucester, in preparation for a TEAA operation in the Mediterranean next year. He was sleeping aboard at 3am when he awoke to discover the boat had drifted into the Floating Harbour.
“It is really concerning. He didn’t untie the moorings at the other end of the boat, but it meant we drifted out perpendicular to the harbourside,” said Mr Manning. “The worrying thing is that, if this had happened on the night of the really strong winds then it’s a possibility the other mooring would have come loose and we’d be crashing around the harbour doing untold damage to other vessels.
“What happened caused minimal problems, but the boat is 200 tons, it could have caused millions of pounds of damage. It could have been fatal if we didn’t have crew on board – this man must be stopped,” he added. Mr Manning informed Bristol Live that other vessels in the vicinity were also attacked by the individual during the same evening, with fellow boat owners throughout the Floating Harbour reporting similar incidents over recent weeks and months.
“Neighbours say they’ve had their moorings untied or released and power cables from the harbourside unplugged and let loose.
“Something needs to be done to stop this idiot, we need to deter him or anyone else from such stupid acts of mindless nonsense,” he added.
“It’s an absolute pleasure being in Bristol, at the heart of Britain’s maritime heritage, but we need to warn these types of fools that it’s no joke,” he said.
The matters have been reported to the Harbourmaster, who operates under Bristol City Council’s authority. The council has been contacted for comment. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
