Watch: A 28 tonne mould used to construct luxury yachts being lifted onto a barge in Lee-on-the-Solent

The 28 tonne object was picked up by a crane this afternoon and carefully placed onto the vessel at the Lee-on-the-Solent slipway. It will the be transported to Sunseeker International at The Quay in Poole, where the template will be used to construct magnificent ships.

Project manager Mike Hall, who works for MCS and Marine Concepts in Broom Way, said they started the project in November last year.

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He told The News: ‘We lifted the mould onto the barge, which will then be delivered to Sunseeker. It will then be placed into a warehouse, where the manufacturer will then make brand new luxury yachts from it as a template.’

The 30-year-old said the last barge lifting took place in 2020, adding that it’s ‘not a massive regular occurrence’. The Whiteley native’s role was to liaise with the council, site agents and others to make sure the lift went smoothly.

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He said lots of people gathered to see the whole process unfold, and that he got good shots from his drone. ‘It was really good for the residents,’ he added. ‘They all came down and gave a positive response from it.

‘They were happy to see that manufacturing is still going on in the local area.’ Mr Hall said the template will be used to make ships which will supersede the current Sunseeker 88 yacht, which is 26.38 metres long.

Those vessels are currently valued in a range between £2.3m to £5.49m, according to YachtWorld.