The harbour authority notice for the mast removal runs from 11 September to 31 October. The government had said the job could be done by the end of September.
The three masts that have stood out of the water across the estuary from Southend for 82 years are being cut down, and the job is now formally expected to run into the autumn.
The statutory harbour authority for the River Medway has issued a notice covering the mast removal from 11 September to 31 October 2026. It says marine operations connected with taking the masts off the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery “will be taking place within the extended exclusion zone around the wreck site during September and October 2026” (Notice to Mariners 41 of 2026).
That is a longer window than the government set out when it announced the work. The Department for Transport said in July that the operation would begin in early September and “could be completed by the end of September”, while warning that deadlines might be extended if the weather caused delays (DfT and Maritime and Coastguard Agency).
Neither document contradicts the other. The notice is the operational one, issued by the people who have to keep shipping clear of the site. It books the water well past the government’s best case.
What is actually happening out there
The SS Richard Montgomery was an American Liberty ship carrying munitions for the Allied war effort when it ran aground in the Thames Estuary in 1944. It is still carrying them. The government puts the load at around 1,400 tonnes of wartime explosives, and the wreck has been monitored continuously ever since.
It lies 1.5 miles off Sheerness, on the Kent side of the estuary, which is across the water from Southend and the Essex shore. A no-entry exclusion zone surrounds it. The zone is not a local by-law: the Montgomery is a designated dangerous wreck under section 2 of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, and the coordinates of the prohibited area are published in a statutory instrument from that year.
The masts are the part everyone can see, and they are the part coming off. The operation involves building an underwater platform so that specialist marine engineers can cut the three masts over several weeks. The DfT says independent expert advice confirmed the work can be done without increasing the risk from the explosives still on board. The contractor is Resolve, and the £9.5 million comes from government funding.
Once removed, the masts go to The Historic Dockyard Chatham, which has specialist restoration facilities, to be preserved. The plan is then to display them somewhere in Kent.
The vessels working the site
The harbour authority’s notice names the boats involved, which is how to tell the operation from ordinary estuary traffic:
| Vessel | Role | Length |
|---|---|---|
| NP562 | Crane and construction barge | 65.00m, beam 19.00m |
| GPS Iberia | Primary tug | 22.63m |
| GPS Arcadia | Secondary tug | 18.15m |
| MV Vulcan | Support vessel | 18.20m |
The notice says the work is being done on behalf of the Department for Transport and will involve specialist marine plant operating in and around the wreck site. Operations depend on weather, tides and how the project goes.
If you take a boat out of Southend, read this bit
This is the part with a practical edge for anyone on the water. The notice warns that the works “may result in temporary navigation restrictions, exclusion zones, or localised channel constraints at short notice”.
Mariners near the wreck site are required to:
- maintain a safe speed and keep a proper lookout
- navigate with caution around all vessels engaged in the works
- keep well clear of any construction, lifting or support vessels showing the appropriate lights and shapes
- monitor VHF Channel 74 and Channel 16 for navigation safety information
- comply with any directions from Peel Ports London Medway VTS, or from authorised representatives on scene
- allow adequate clearance for vessels restricted in their ability to manoeuvre
Information is available from Medway VTS on VHF Channel 74, call sign “Medway VTS”, or on 0151 949 6148 and 0151 949 6650. Entering the prohibited area without the written permission of the Secretary of State is an offence under section 3 of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (Notice to Mariners 37 of 2026).
Why a Kent wreck is a Southend story
The government made the connection itself. Its announcement says the masts “have been visible to local communities for 82 years” and are “incredibly important to the people of the Thames and Medway estuaries, like those on the Isle of Sheppey and in Southend”.
On a clear day they are a fixed point on the view south from the Essex shore. When the cutting is finished they will not be there, and the exclusion zone will remain in place regardless. It is the second time this month that something long-familiar on the Southend water has been in the news, after the ex-lifeboat that went aground on the mudflats. The government has been explicit about that: removing the masts does not remove the wreck, or the restriction around it.
The masts themselves are going to Kent, not Essex. The plan to display them locally is framed around Kent’s maritime heritage and the tourism it might bring to the Medway side.
What it means for you
- The masts are coming down now. The harbour authority’s notice covers operations during September and October 2026 and expires on 31 October.
- The government’s best case was completion by the end of September, with the caveat that weather could extend it. Treat the end of October as the outside date rather than a new deadline.
- The exclusion zone stays after the masts are gone, and entering it without permission remains a criminal offence.
- If you are on the water, monitor VHF Channel 74 and Channel 16, and expect restrictions at short notice rather than on a schedule.
- If you want a photograph of the estuary with the masts in it, the window for taking one is measured in weeks.
Sources
- Peel Ports Notice to Mariners 41 of 2026, River Medway, SS Richard Montgomery planned mast removal works, issued 11 September 2026 on behalf of Port of Sheerness Ltd, the statutory harbour authority for the River Medway and The Swale, expiring 31 October 2026
- Peel Ports Notice to Mariners 37 of 2026, for the exclusion zone coordinates and the Protection of Wrecks Act offence
- Department for Transport, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Keir Mather MP: safe removal of masts from historic WWII shipwreck carrying wartime explosives begins, 14 July 2026
- The SS Richard Montgomery: information and survey reports, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s standing record for the wreck
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