Hurricane Dorian brought wind speeds of over 200 mph to the Bahamas last year and left a trail of destruction, but Navmoor, a Welsh SME, is helping the area recover and get back on its feet thanks to its experience and expertise in the marine industry.
Established in February last year, Navmoor has received support from Business Wales, the Welsh Government’s flagship business support programme, which provided high growth start-up support. Navmoor is currently helping re-establish port safety in the Grand Bahamas, specifically the aids to navigation. It is installing new buoys, lanterns and monitoring equipment needed after the six original buoys were destroyed and lost in the devasting winds and sea conditions.
Chris Newell, Founder of Navmoor explains:
“The devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian is mind boggling. If a category six hurricane existed, this would’ve been it. The area witnessed wind speed of over 200mph for seven hours straight and the storm ripped the area apart, with the port equipment used to provide safety to boats and shipping completely devastated.
“In fact, of six original buoys that were in place in the South East, five have never been found and the remaining one was washed up on the beach. These buoys are six and a half to seven tonnes each, with moorings of a similar mass, so that gives you an indication of the power of the storm.”
Navmoor supplies, installs and maintains aids to navigation and works with ports and harbours, lighthouses, inland waterways and bridges, and renewables industries in regards to off-shore wind and tidal energy systems. It also helps marking decommissioned oil rigs and provides clients with data and wave buoys to help gather crucial information.
Its work in the Bahamas saw it beat off major competition from big players in the industry, and its success since launching last February will soon see it expand its team as Mr Newell explains:
“Working in the Bahamas has been a great experience and was a very high profile project and reinforced the already strong track record the team within Navmoor has. We’re looking forward to expanding our team in the near future and strengthening our profile across the UK and beyond.”
Business Wales, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, supports the sustainable growth of small and medium-size enterprises across the country by offering access to information, guidance and business support.