THINGS were shipshape at the launch of a new £650,000, dredger which will keep traffic flowing at two marinas.
The Little Orme - a new dredger bought in a joint venture by Conwy Quay Marinas and the Crown Estate - was launched at a ceremony on Thursday by Cllr Anne Roberts, the Mayor of Conwy.
The Mayor was joined for the ceremony by Roy Evans, head of development and asset management at the Crown Estate - the freeholders of marinas at both Conwy and Deganwy - and Andrew Yates, chairman of Quay Marinas, to whom the marinas are leased.
The dredger will be used to clear an estimated 20,000 cubic metres of silt from the Conwy marina each year, with a futher 6,000 cleared from Deganwy.
Simon Haigh, managing director of Quay Marinas Ltd, said the launch event had been “fantastic”.
He said: “It’s there to undertake the maintenance dredging for Deganwy and Conwy, and to maintain the working depths for all users. The silt grows at a rate of 30 centimetres a year and without dredging, the marinas couldn’t function.”
The launch was also attended by Year 12 pupils from Ysgol Aberconwy, along with headteacher David Wylde.