A NEW Welsh Government fishing patrol boat is to be named after former First Minister Rhodri Morgan at a special event in Pembroke Dock today, January 22.

Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths is visiting Mainstay Marine Solutions at Pembroke Dock to see the building work currently underway on two of the new Welsh Government fisheries protection vessels.

The company is delivering high quality boat manufacturing products through a highly committed and locally skilled Pembrokeshire workforce.

The Cabinet Secretary will announce two larger patrol vessels, built by Mainstay Marine Solutions, will be named the FPV Rhodri Morgan and the FPV Lady Megan.

The 26 metre FPV (Fisheries Patrol Vessel) Rhodri Morgan and 19 metre FPV Lady Megan – named after Megan Arvon Lloyd George the first female MP for a Welsh constituency - are expected to be in operational service by late autumn this year.

Western Telegraph:

The 19 metre FPV Lady Megan.

The new vessels will replace the current ageing boats, to effectively protect from illegal fishing activity in Welsh waters and safeguard Wales’ fishing industry and coastal communities in the years ahead.

The Cabinet Secretary said: “Our new patrol vessels will ensure we can continue to effectively enforce fisheries and marine laws around the seas of Wales and help ensure we meet our commitment to manage our fish stocks sustainably. They will also help safeguard Wales’ fishing industry and our coastal communities in the years ahead.

“I am delighted to announce the names of the new vessels and to see first-hand the considerable progress that Mainstay Marine has achieved in building two of our new Fisheries Patrol Vessels for Wales.”

Stewart Graves, managing director of Mainstay Marine Solutions said: “We are delighted with the progress of the builds so far. Our design, build and project management teams are enthusiastically engaged in ensuring we deliver a high-quality Welsh product on time and in budget.”