Broads Authority restricts vessels over 24m from entering
Seafaring ships used to use the waterways
The days of ships trundling up the River Yare from Great Yarmouth to the Port of Norwich are officially over, as new restrictions for the Norfolk Broads are now in force.
Members of the Broads Authority (BA) have voted to limit the size of vessels entering the waterways to just 24m.
The change formalises historical trends which have long been evident.
It has been eight years since the last vessel entering the Broads required ‘pilotage’ – which sees local experts go aboard to help guide large, sea-going vessels along the waterways.
The service was once a busy part of life on the rivers, as pilots helped navigate trading ships 20 miles along the Yare from the sea to Norwich, but a BA report says its pilotage scheme is now redundant and “unsustainable”.
As a result, it's abandoned the service and introduced a maximum size for vessels.
However, the authority says it is keen to keep its options open, in case the tide of history turns again and seafaring ships do return in the future.
If a larger vessel did wish to visit, it says a risk assessment could be carried out to see if this can be arranged.
Speaking at a full member meeting, an officer said: “The service is not viable in its current form.
“But we will keep our competent harbour authority status, so if big ships do return, we can go back to providing that service.”
Broads Authority member Tim Jickells highlighted that there had been talk that barges could be used to transport building materials to the east of Norwich, where more than 3,000 new homes are due to be built in the coming years.
Others noted that the Royal Navy may wish to travel to the port of Norwich in the future for visits.
Defence officials have spoken to the Broads Authority recently about a 21m vessel sailing into the city.
An officer said big ships that want to sail on the Broads will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and that rangers may be able to provide escorts in some circumstances.