The marine patrol officer
Marine officer John Hyland has been keeping the sea lanes clear at Southampton’s port for 25 years.
John Hyland
Marine officer John Hyland has been keeping the sea lanes clear at Southampton’s port for 25 years.
His role is to deal with any hazards on the water from potential collisions to keeping navigation channels safe.
A particularly busy period for him is Cowes week, one of the highlights in the sailing calendar when hundreds of yachts take part in dozens of races.
Commercial traffic has to be kept separate from racing yachts as collisions can be fatal.
This year, to help avoid a crash, John has the help of a fast response crew provided by the race organisers
We also see him dealing with a potential problem as a big oil tanker heads for the main sea lanes whilst a yacht heads right across the tanker’s course.
John has to take action to avoid the yacht and the ship from colliding.
