Unsinkable buoys

Bruised and battered but still up to the job

One of our marine navigation buoys deployed in the Caribbean proved just how tough they really are when it was run over by a high speed ocean cruiser, leaving it bruised, cut and very much worse for wear but still fully functioning.

Port authorities in Antigua had purchased a number of 1.25m and 1.75m plastic navigation buoys in preparation for a Yacht Regatta. Only months after their deployment one of the buoys was severely damaged when it was run over by a 50ft motor boat.

The cruiser scored a direct hit, pushing the buoy straight under the hull where the floatation collar, the main body of the buoy, was chewed up by the propeller. Photos of the damage clearly show slice marks where the propeller repeatedly breached the buoy. But despite the serious damage, the buoy remained afloat.

Tom Fleming, Managing Director of Corilla Marine, commented, “It is great to see that the effort we put into the design and manufacture of our buoys makes them capable of withstanding harsh conditions.

“Had this been a steel buoy, the situation could have been far worse both for the cruiser and the port authorities. Luckily, the rotational moulding process used to manufacture our buoys means the structure is unlikely to cause much damage to a vessel.

“Equally, because plastic is relatively light and thanks to the main floatation assembly being filled with closed cell marine grade foam, the buoy itself will remain afloat and carry on doing its job even when badly damaged.”