Three iconic Mersey vessels bring slice of history to Liverpool's waterfront

Video report by Granada Reports Journalist Jennifer Buck

Three boats have lined up to give a hands on history lesson, from 1903 right up to the present day.

Tug boats have been a vital part of Liverpools maritime history for hundreds of years.

The Daniel Adamson or the Danny was back in Liverpool, alongside some newer cleaner  versions.

The Danny was built at what is now the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead in 1903.

Students toured the Danny as well as the Brocklebank from 1964 and the most modern tug the Trident.

The story from steam to saving the planet with carbon neutral power is an important lesson for engineering students and one which could provide a boost to the local maritime industry.

Cathriona Bourke, Manger, The Danny said: "It is an amazing opportunity because the port of Liverpool historically and a lot of it is not known about by young people which is something we were very surprised about and also the sheer scale of operations they don't know about.

"20% of the good coming into Britain come through Liverpool and it is leading in decarbonising".

Engineering student Alice Johnson said "to come and actually see the history of the boats and how they've evolved through the years has been really good and really educational towards the course I am doing."

Fransisco Falcao, who is alson an engineering student said "It's very relevant - we are looking at the future and what it can bring and what we can do to make the boats be more eco friendly."

The three boats give a history lesson that spans 120 years and as well as learning from the past, experts want the students to look towards a greener future with the most modern tug, the trident.

Dan Cross, Trident Captain, said "she's pretty much as modern as any tug you will get operating in the UK at the moment.

"The company I work for Svitzer have a pathway to becoming carbon neutral. Part of that journey is transforming all 60 tugs to burn HVO which is basically veg oil instead of burning diesel and marine gas oil."

The students will take what they've learnt to float their own ideas and design a boat that can carry the most cargo at the lowest environmental cost

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