Gary Solomon, who was aboard St Davids during the 2016 collision, helped shape new self-righting vessel Llanion from conception to delivery

GARY SOLOMON stood on the bridge of Llanion and paused.

For most people watching the new pilot boat arrive in Milford Haven, this was a day of engineering pride and port ceremony.

For Gary, it was far more personal.

Almost ten years ago, he was aboard the pilot vessel St Davids when it was involved in a serious collision during a pilot transfer operation with the LNG carrier Lijmiliya.

Three crew members were injured. The vessel was badly damaged. And for those who worked the Haven, the incident became part of a much wider debate about whether Milford Haven’s pilot boats were safe enough for the conditions they faced.

Now, after five years of work, Gary was standing on the bridge of the vessel designed to change all that.

He had been involved in the Llanion project from conception to delivery.

As he showed The Herald the safety features on the boat, he became visibly emotional.

Later, he wrote online: “It’s been one of the best days and happiness in my career for a long time.

“Feeling so proud and grateful.

“I have been part of the pilot boat committee start to finish, developing this state-of-the-art boat, the most modern pilot boat in the world.

“It’s a journey I have gone through and never forget for big reasons.

“Safety is now close to my heart and hope to keep being part of boarding pilots safely in all weather conditions.

“We have some of the best crews in the world.”

For Gary, and for the wider pilot boat team, Llanion is not just a new vessel. It is the product of hard lessons, difficult memories and a determination that crews working in the Haven should have the safest platform possible.

Built for Milford Haven

The Port of Milford Haven says Llanion has been purpose-built for some of the most demanding pilotage conditions in the UK.

The 22-metre vessel is capable of speeds of up to 30 knots and is powered by two powerful water-jet propulsion systems, giving crews greater manoeuvrability when operating alongside large ships.

It is self-righting, meaning it can recover even after a complete roll-over.

It is also designed to stay afloat even if multiple watertight compartments are flooded.

On board, the vessel carries CCTV to help track people overboard, along with thermal imaging and heat-seeking technology to assist in locating people lost at sea.

The same equipment can also help crews approaching vessels affected by fire by identifying cooler areas.

The result is a pilot boat which, in many ways, is closer to a specialist rescue craft than a traditional harbour launch.

“More like a lifeboat”

Sarah Thomas-Dawe, from BMT, which helped support and coordinate the project, said the vessel had been designed around Milford Haven’s unique operational demands.

She said ordinary pilot boats often did not have to cope with anything like the conditions faced off Milford Haven.

“This really was a specialist requirement,” she said.

“It was really important that we worked very closely with the Port Authority, the yard and the operators to make absolutely sure we understood the full complexity of the requirement.”

She said one of the biggest challenges was the sea state the vessel had to handle.

“Ordinarily, a pilot boat might cope with two, three or four metres of swell,” she said.

“This one is designed for six.”

Asked whether Llanion was closer to a lifeboat than a conventional pilot boat, she said: “Yes, I think that would be a pretty good description of it.”

She added that the vessel’s ability to recover from full submersion made it “a very unusual craft”.

Engineering challenge

Bastian, from Next Generation Shipyards, said the construction of Llanion had been an enormous project.

He said the self-righting capability had been one of the biggest technical challenges.

“We had to keep very close track of weight,” he said.

Every component had to be considered carefully to ensure the vessel would perform as designed.

He said reliability had been built into the boat from the start, with redundancy engineered into key systems.

“It wasn’t just about doubling components,” he said.

“That adds weight, cost and affects fuel efficiency.

“It had to be thought through from the ground up.”

The shipyard worked on the vessel for around two years, although the full project has taken around five years from concept to delivery.

Lessons from the past

The arrival of Llanion comes after a difficult chapter in the Port’s pilot boat history.

The previous “Saints Class” boats — St Davids, St Brides and St Govans — became controversial after concerns were raised about their performance and suitability for Milford Haven’s conditions.

In 2018, The Herald reported claims from crew sources that the vessels were “not fit for purpose”, underpowered and difficult to handle in heavy weather.

At the time, questions were also raised after two of the new boats were placed on an operational pause while older vessels remained in use.

The issue carried further controversy because the boats had been built through Mustang Marine, a company part-owned by the Port of Milford Haven before it collapsed into administration and later re-emerged as Mainstay Marine.

The St Davids collision in 2016 gave those concerns a human face.

For Gary Solomon, the lessons were not abstract. They were lived experience.

“Our greatest asset”

Tom Sawyer, chief executive of the Port of Milford Haven, said Llanion represented a major investment in safety.

Speaking aboard the vessel alongside Harbourmaster Mike Ryan, he said the boat mattered not only to the Port but to the whole Milford Haven community.

“This vessel is going to keep people who are very, very dear to us, who we want to keep safe, safe,” he said.

He described Llanion as a “22-metre, jet-powered, self-righting” vessel designed to support crews facing some of the most severe weather conditions encountered by any port authority.

Mr Sawyer said the project had been shaped by lessons from previous experience.

He added: “We’ve spent more on this vessel than we spent on the previous three vessels combined.”

He said the investment was about protecting the people who keep the Waterway moving.

“Our greatest asset is our people,” he said.

A new era

For Milford Haven, Llanion is a statement of confidence in the future of the Waterway.

The Haven remains one of the UK’s most important energy ports, handling large vessels in challenging conditions throughout the year.

Pilot boat crews are at the sharp end of that work.

They operate at night, in rough seas, in poor visibility and alongside some of the largest ships entering UK waters.

The arrival of Llanion means they now have one of the most advanced pilot vessels of its kind.

But behind the technology, the speed and the engineering is a simpler story.

A crewman who lived through one of the most difficult moments in the Port’s recent pilot boat history helped deliver the vessel intended to make sure others are safer in future.

For Gary Solomon, that is why this day mattered.