The man was seen untying the mooring ropes of the 200-ton research vessel Lady Kate, which is docked in Bristol
This is the moment a man untied the mooring ropes of a large boat on Bristol’s Floating Harbour, at of “causing millions of pounds of damage or a fatality”. Fears are mounting that a serial vandal is setting loose boats tied up in the harbour and disconnecting power supplies in the middle of the night, following reports of similar incidents in recent weeks.
The latest incident occurred last week and was captured on CCTV. At 3am on Wednesday, September 10, an man approached the mooring ropes of the 200-tonne research vessel Lady Kate, which is docked at Hannover Quay, right next to the Lloyds Amphitheatre in the centre of Bristol.
He was caught on CCTV lifting the mooring rope and then approaching the middle of the boat and watching as, within seconds, the boat began to drift away from the quayside.
The man on board at the time has since learned that similar incidents have happened to other boats and is ‘deeply worried’ that something serious might happen if the man is not stopped.
The figure caught in the darkness on the CCTV appeared to be a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, trainers, dark trousers and a lighter jacket or coat with dark stripes at the elbows.
The vessel targeted is the Lady Kate, an 80ft long, 200 ton research ship that forms part of a worldwide organisation called The Extraction Action Alliance, a programme operating across 157 countries on six continents that seeks to tackle the volume of plastic entering rivers and seas, whilst also removing the enormous quantities of plastic already polluting the oceans, reports Bristol Live.
TEAA’s head of oceans is Paul Manning, who is berthed 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, and awoke to discover the craft had drifted out 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 said that neighbouring boats were also targeted by the man on the same night, and other boat owners along the Floating Harbour reported that their vessels had been targeted on previous nights in recent weeks and months.
“Neighbours say they’ve had their moorings untied or released and power cables from the harbourside unplugged and let loose,” he added.
“Something needs to be done to stop this idiot, we need to deter him or anyone else from such stupid acts of mindless nonsense.
“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.”
The incidents have been reported to the Harbourmaster, who operates under the umbrella of Bristol City Council.
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