Man unties 200 tonne ship in Bristol harbour as mystery ‘vandal’ still on the loose

The man was captured on CCTV untying the mooring ropes of the 200 ton research vessel Lady Kate, which is docked at Hannover Quay, right next to the Lloyds Amphitheatre

This is the moment a mystery bloke untied the mooring ropes of a large boat on Bristol’s Floating Harbour, risking ‘causing millions of pounds of damage or a fatality’.

Following reports of similar incidents in recent weeks, there are now concerns that a serial vandal is setting loose the boats tied up in the harbour and disconnecting power supplies as well, in the dead of night.

The latest incident occurred last week and was captured on CCTV. At 3am early on the morning of Wednesday, September 10, an unidentified man approached the mooring ropes of the 200 tonne research vessel Lady Kate, which is docked at Hannover Quay, right next to the Lloyds Amphitheatre in the heart of Bristol.

He was caught on CCTV lifting the mooring rope and then approaching the middle of the boat and watching as, within seconds, the boat began to drift away from the quayside. The man on board at the time said he’s since learned that similar incidents have happened to other boats, and is ‘deeply worried’ that something serious might happen if the man is not stopped.

The figure caught in the darkness on the CCTV appeared to be a mature man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, trainers, dark trousers and a lighter jacket or coat with dark stripes at the elbows.

The vessel targeted is the Lady Kate, an 80ft long, 200 tonne research ship belonging to a worldwide organisation called The Extraction Action Alliance, a project spanning 157 countries across six continents that aims to tackle plastic pollution flowing into rivers and seas, whilst also removing the enormous quantities of plastic already contaminating the oceans, reports Bristol Live.

Paul Manning, TEAA’s chief of oceans, was moored in Bristol following the boat’s refit in Gloucester, preparing for a TEAA mission in the Mediterranean next year. He was sleeping aboard at 3am when he awoke to discover the vessel had drifted out into the Floating Harbour.

“It is really concerning. He didn’t untie the moorings at the other end of the boat, but it meant we drifted out perpendicular to the harbourside,” said Mr Manning. “The worrying thing is that, if this had happened on the night of the really strong winds then it’s a possibility the other mooring would have come loose and we’d be crashing around the harbour doing untold damage to other vessels.

“What happened caused minimal problems, but the boat is 200 tons, it could have caused millions of pounds of damage. It could have been fatal if we didn’t have crew on board – this man must be stopped,” he added. Mr Manning revealed to Bristol Live that neighbouring vessels were also hit by the same individual during that evening, with fellow boat owners around the Floating Harbour reporting that in recent weeks and months, other craft had previously fallen victim to similar attacks.

“Neighbours say they’ve had their moorings untied or released and power cables from the harbourside unplugged and let loose.

“Something needs to be done to stop this idiot, we need to deter him or anyone else from such stupid acts of mindless nonsense,” he added.

“It’s an absolute pleasure being in Bristol, at the heart of Britain’s maritime heritage, but we need to warn these types of fools that it’s no joke,” he said.

The incidents have been reported to the Harbourmaster, who works under the umbrella of Bristol City Council.

The council has been approached for a comment, and a response is awaited.