Why was all Royal Navy and shipping traffic halted in Portsmouth harbour after "urgent" announcement made

Royal Navy and commercial shipping was stopped completely yesterday afternoon (October 30) by the King’s Harbour Master. This disrupted services such as the Gosport Ferry, with the operator issuing a statement to its customers.

They said: “Urgent service information. Due to Instruction from the Kings Harbour Master (KHM) all shipping movements within Portsmouth Harbour have been suspended until further notice, this includes all sailings on the Gosport Ferry. As soon as we have more information we will update you.”

The announcement was made on social media at 2.30pm. The King’s Harbour Master allowed marine traffic to resume a short while later. This impacted all sailings around HMNB Portsmouth.

A Royal Navy spokesperson confirmed to the news that shipping movements were halted due to a power cut. They added: “HMNB Portsmouth is operating as usual following a 40-minute closure due to a power cut in the local area which was swiftly dealt with.” The News understands that the power outage took place at the Semaphore Tower, with King’s Harbour Master personnel unable to communicate with passing ships.