Portland Port Christens Two New Vessels

September 15, 2025

A new tug and a new pilot boat hit the water at Portland Port, following a naming ceremony. The tug was christened Wyke Castle and the pilot boat was named Silverwell. They continue in the tradition of new boats being named in honour of local castles and wells in the Weymouth and Portland area. A visiting cruise ship, the Viking Vela, is pictured behind the two new boats. © Portland Port

Portland Port in Dorset, UK celebrated the twin christening of two new vessels.

Dignitaries and guests watched the christening of the Wyke Castle tug and the Silverwell pilot boat on the Dorset port’s Dock Jetty before an demonstration of the vessels’ capabilities.

The multi-million-pound investment in the new boats for Portland Harbor Authority comes as the port continues to grow. It follows the opening of a USD$35.4m (£26m) new deepwater berth in 2023.

Portland Port chairman Christopher Langham was joined for the naming ceremony by the Naval Regional Commander for Wales, the West of England and Channel Islands, Commodore Tristram Kirkwood OBE ADC RN and Commodore Sam Shattock, Commodore of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA).

A commemorative plaque was unveiled on the Wyke Castle before Commodore Shattock named and blessed the tug with a bottle of sparkling wine from the Langham Wine Estate.

The ceremony also included a champagne reception and a lunch for more than 30 guests. They included the Mayor of Portland Town Council Cllr Charlie Flack and Mayoress Maria Flack.

Crew from the visiting RFA Lyme Bay also attended along with businesses based at the port, councillors, representatives from Dorset Council, Portland residents and Weymouth Town Council Mayor Caroline Nickinson and Mayor’s Consort Richard Nickinson.

Wyke Castle continued in the tradition of being named after local castles, apart from the previous tug which was named in honor of late Portland Port director Rupert Best in 2021.

The Wyke Castle joins the Rupert Best and Maiden Castle in the port’s fleet. She will be used for towage, maneuvering and support for a diverse range of vessels, including cruise, merchant and MOD ships.

The Wyke Castle is an azimuth stern drive (ASD) 2111 tug built by Damen Shipyards. With a 198 gross tonnage (GT), she has a 10m beam and two Caterpillar main engines connected to selective catalytic reduction (SCR) units to minimize emissions.

The tug has a top speed of around 12 knots and 50 tonnes of bollard pull. She has a winch below the wheelhouse with access for towage over the bow or stern, plus a small deck crane for equipment handling and a Furuno radar and navigation suite.

The Silverwell is an ORC 121 fast pilot boat built by Great Yarmouth-based Goodchild Marine Services Limited. She will be used for pilotage services, such as transferring pilots to cruise liners, RFA ships and large vessels to enable them to navigate into Portland Harbor and alongside at the port. Her features include a beak bow hull design with minimal drag for speeds of up to 27 knots.

The Silverwell also features Goodchild’s Man Overboard Platform for rapid and efficient rescue of anyone in the water.

The cost of the new vessels combined is in high seven figures although the exact amount has not been revealed.