Kingston Wharf
Based on a 10-acre site in East Cowes, Kingston Wharf is home to two of CHC’s principle
operations, Kingston Marine Services (KMS) and Kingston Marine Boatyard (KMB), as
well as a variety of local businesses and wharfage for Isle of Wight Fuels and Isle of Wight
Aggregates.
The period 2016-17 was a stable time for operations at the Kingston Wharf site. There were
no changes in the large commercial tenants occupying the wharves and land adjacent, with
Isle of Wight Aggregates and Isle of Wight Fuels continuing busy operations and Vectis
Storage building up an open storage facility to the north of the site.
In the early part of 2017 we initiated monitoring on the access roadway and quay area to
establish the load-bearing capacities of the existing structures. This is in order to establish
the suitability of the wharf and road for expansion of the current boatyard activities and the
longevity of some failing sheet piling.
Kingston Marine Boatyard
Kingston Boatyard occupies approximately one-third of the Kingston Wharf site and
comprises several large storage areas, waiting pontoons, a 6-metre beam hoist dock and
a boat handler with capacity to 40 tonnes. The business also occupies a proportion of the
shoreside workshops, shared with a number of small business tenants and our Kingston
Marine Services team.
2016-17 showed an increase on turnover above the budget forecast; this seems to have
been by way of small increases across the board in the take-up of the yard’s spring offers,
daily use, marine services and overwintering.
Relationships fostered throughout the year with local brokers, boat builders, engineers and
our resident tenant surveyor, have all helped to smooth the demand through the 12-month
period and generally assisted with vessel turnover in the yard.
Research has been ongoing with regard to the proposed transition to a boat mover and
cradle-based system. A phased introduction will begin in 2017 with the delivery in June of the
boat mover and first batch of cradles. This investment in equipment will bring improvements
to throughput in the busy periods, more efficient use of space in the yard and a reduction in
the handling of heavy shores and props by the staff.
All activities and throughput at the yard is measured on a monthly basis, and on the basis of
this information the 2017 special offers have been slightly rebalanced to ensure that we are
offering best value across the complete range of our clients’ vessels.
More space has been made available within the main KMS workshops and this has allowed
the addition of cover maker’s and sail maker’s businesses to the site; these have been busy
since their arrival. The departure of a local joinery firm has allowed for the expansion of
our boatbuilding tenants Island RIBs, who also have a short-term lease on the Boat Store
building, installed in 2016.
Annual Report 2016 - 2017
19