A Christmas overcarry

Twas the night before Christmas...at London Gateway. Plans were already in place, preparing to clear ships from their berths to allow essential maintenance dredging to take place over the festive period.

As it turned out, the weather had other ideas. With all London pilot stations closed due to poor conditions, it became necessary to look for volunteer pilots willing to overcarry to Europe so ships could continue their onward journeys. Two of these volunteers were Class 1 Pilots Dave Harper and Andy Bhardwaj.

On Christmas Eve, they boarded the ultra large container ship Maersk Gibraltar and began the passage across to Europe. Their journey continued through Christmas Day and into Boxing Day evening, when they completed the river transit up the Elbe and safely delivered the vessel to Hamburg.

While Christmas away from home is never ideal, the crew on board ensured it was still a memorable one. Dave and Andy were welcomed warmly and enjoyed a Christmas meal with the ship’s crew, with two restful days on board, being well looked after before flying home from Hamburg.

It was a quiet example of professionalism and teamwork at a time of year when many were with family and friends. Thanks to their willingness to step in when needed, plans were able to continue safely, and disruption was kept to a minimum.

A reminder that, even over Christmas, the river keeps moving and so do the people who support it.

Photo: Dave Harper