Lighthouse vessel to visit Stromness

A chance to step aboard the Northern Lighthouse Board’s (NLB) new Pole Star vessel is coming to Stromness this Saturday.

Tew state-of-the-art vessel is the fifth of its name to serve lighthouses across Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Visitors will have an opportunity to meet the crew and find out why this vessel is a step change from what has gone before.

NLB maintains and managing lighthouses, buoys, and other marine aids to navigation.

Using new technology to minimise the impact on the environment, the Pole Star brings additional capability to help deal with the effects of climate change, ensuring NLB can continue to protect mariners and the marine environment into the 2050s.

With hybrid propulsion, the vessel is equipped with advanced navigation and communications systems, enabling hydrographic surveys of the seabed. It incorporates energy-efficient technologies that help to significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

Pole Star has a total length of 70m and a beam of 16m and is equipped to accommodate 26 crew members.

It has three 1,860kWe hybrid electric propulsion engines and three cranes, one of which is a 20-ton offshore crane with a reach of 14 metres, and 4,644kWh batteries that contribute to its energy efficiency.