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Big Boat in the Bay


dilligaf

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1 hour ago, Chris Thomas said:

Whose vanity? All the information about sign-off, cost, reason and use is provided in written answers in Hansard by the way.

Actually details about the gate were in an Oral Question from Haywood that you answer in Keys on 14 February:

The jetty is designated on the Island’s Port Security Plan as a temporary restricted area due to the ability if required to land cruise liner passengers by tender. The requirement to have the ability to close off the jetty when required comes under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, Port Security Regulations 2007 as audited for best practice by the UK Department of Transport Security Division. The gates will be closed when cruise ship tenders are operating to and from the jetty.

The costs of fabrication and installation of the security gates was just over £3,000 for materials and galvanising, across. Fabrication and installation was done by the DoI’s in-house blacksmiths.

She then asked: how many cruise ships have actually used Port Erin to disembark visitors in the last five years; and does he consider this is value for money? Is the cost justified, given that the entrance is so small that a member of staff could stand at the top of the stairs without actually needing fencing to control it?

Chris Thomas then flannelled away at some length without addressing the last point or indeed the usage it actually got.  For the latter Haywood then put in a Written Question (which somehow became identical twins) and got the reply:

According to the Department's records no cruise ships have moored in Port Erin during the last five years, with no visitors disembarking as a result.

Plaintively adding:

It is worth noting that prior to this in 2017, due to bad weather, the Star Pride was diverted from Douglas to Port Erin and that 95 passengers took a shore excursion. There is potential for Port Erin to be utilised in the future for such diversions from any other port on the Isle of Man. Having a gate in place makes any last minute changes more practical, it looks more professional, and it demonstrates that the Isle of Man takes its international obligations seriously.

So once upon a time some people landed by accident.

As Haywood also pointed out rather than looking 'professional' it just looks unfriendly to those users that do use the harbour regularly and takes up space that used to be used for other purposes by those users.  And something being 'best practice' doesn't mean that it has to be done.  Chris did actually admit that the only practical use the gates got was as an occasional clothes drying device.

Of course if that £3,000 and blacksmithing had been used to fix some other barriers at the Airport, it might have been worth it.

I appreciate that Chris inherited all this and that Harbours is comparatively low down in the DoI Shitstorm League, but I can't help feeling that if half the ingenuity that goes into defending stupid decisions was spent not making them in the first place, things might improve.

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20 hours ago, 2112 said:

If you have been to Madeira, which is very busy with multiple cruise ships berthed in the port and bay, there are goods which people want to buy to take home. In years gone by embroidery was popular along with wicker ware. Madeira wine people take home. I went last year, and the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum was busy, both with tourists and cruise ship passengers. 

How can you tell the difference between tourists and cruise ship passengers? Do the cruise passengers wear a boat hat to be easily identified? 

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14 minutes ago, Hooly said:

How can you tell the difference between tourists and cruise ship passengers? Do the cruise passengers wear a boat hat to be easily identified? 

Simple. Tourists either have leathers or hiking gear and are a bit smelly. Cruise passengers have Calvin Cline polos and deck shoes.

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1 hour ago, Hooly said:

How can you tell the difference between tourists and cruise ship passengers? Do the cruise passengers wear a boat hat to be easily identified? 

Easy. The cruise ship visitors are the corpses being wheeled around on sack trucks.

A bit like the deceased Morecambe bingo players, propped up in bus shelters, beloved of Colin Crompton on Wheeltappers.

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15 hours ago, Hooly said:

How can you tell the difference between tourists and cruise ship passengers? Do the cruise passengers wear a boat hat to be easily identified? 

Genuinely, they all sometimes wear the same gimpy brightly coloured coats 

images (33).jpeg

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  • 4 months later...
Just now, 0bserver said:

For the climate, no. 

If we were serious about out climate change obligations then we would be refusing these kind of ships. 

You’re right. This is why they’ve been banned from visiting several European cities. 

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