A VESSEL has been blessed and officially named at a special ceremony today.

The new offshore support vessel was named The Dart Fisher at Griffon Hoverwork Ltd in Merlin Quay.

Chief executive renewable UK Maria McCaffrey was the given the honour of smashing a bottle of Champagne on the boat's hull at the yard's River Itchen slipway.

It is owned by James Fisher Marine Services and will service off shore wind turbines.

Although built in Wales, it was completed at the yard with bow thrusts added to enable it to manoeuvre.

This followed a blessing by Champlain John Attenborough from the Southampton Seafarers Centre.

Southampton mayor Sue Blatchford, also the Admiral of the Port of Southampton, was also invited to the ceremony.

She said: “We are blessed with an absolutely glorious day to celebrate the naming of this particular vessel. And to also celebrate the fact that it has been recognised that Griffon Hoverwork has actually got the skills to actually do this particular work.

“Southampton has a proud history of marine engineering and the marine industry.

“I am delighted that Griffon Hoverwork will hopefully continue to carry out this form of transformation of various vessels to form the very important service fleet across the waters.

“As a representative of the whole city I am delighted to be here, on the basis also of people in Southampton and the region who actually employed in the marine industry.

“It is important that we have such industries.

“And with the movement of Lloyds Register from London to Southampton University with our National Oceanography Centre, I actually think we do have this proud heritage of links with the sea, so I wish the vessel well.”