Five harbours pass safety inspection

THE region’s five harbours have passed a national safety inspection — but auditors have handed Dumfries and Galloway Council a list of 15 things they need to do better.

The findings come from the latest Port Marine Safety Code audit, carried out on May 19-20 by safety expert William Heaps of Marico Marine.

The council runs the harbours at Kirkcudbright, Stranraer, Garlieston, Isle of Whithorn and Port William and they are mainly used by leisure craft and tourists.

However fishing boats also use them, with Kirkcudbright in particular home to a busy fishing fleet.

The audit confirmed that “the council harbours were compliant with the requirements of the Port and Marine Facilities Safety Code”, and no rules were being broken.

Auditors did flag 15 areas where things could be done better, but pointed out this is not unusual.

Most of the points are about paperwork and making sure processes that work in practice are properly written down.

But a handful stand out as more significant. The biggest concern is on risk assessments for navigation at sea. The report found these were out-of-date, and safety controls were “limited, and not consistently or completely applied to identified hazards.” A full review was “strongly recommended,” including fresh consultation with harbour users to identify any new risks.

Another area flagged for attention was “bridging documents”, which are formal agreements for groups who use or operate within harbours, such as sailing clubs and lifeboat stations.

It was also found the council had no dedicated marine training policy for staff — something the code expects. A version of the council’s safety management system on its website was also out-of-date, with a recommendation it be updated “to current version.”

On incident reporting, the auditors noted the council does pass on details of accidents and near-misses to the relevant national agencies — but has no written procedure.

One further matter was highlighted: the current contract with Marico Marine for safety oversight expires in September. However, officials have started looking for a replacement to ensure there is no gap.

The Harbours Sub Committee will this week be asked to note the findings and approve an updated safety plan covering 2026-29.