A new Welsh Government fishing patrol boat has been named after former First Minister Rhodri Morgan.

The announcement was made at a special event in Pembroke Dock on Monday, when Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, visited Mainstay Marine Solutions to see the building work currently underway on two of the new vessels being built and manufactured in Wales.

The company is delivering high quality boat manufacturing products through a highly committed and locally skilled Pembrokeshire workforce.

During her visit, the Cabinet Secretary revealed two larger patrol vessels, built by Mainstay Marine Solutions, would be named the FPV (Fisheries Patrol Vessel) Rhodri Morgan and the FPV Lady Megan, with two smaller enforcement RIBs named the FPV Gwenllian and the FPV Siwan.

A Cabin RIB patrol vessel, built by MST Ltd., which is very close to completion, will be named FPV Catrin. The FPV Catrin will undertake sea trials later this month and will be expected to be in operational service early this year.

The 26-metre FPV Rhodri Morgan and 19-metre FPV Lady Megan - named after Megan Arvon Lloyd George, the first female MP for a Welsh constituency - are expected to be in operational service by late autumn.

The new vessels will replace the current ageing boats, to effectively protect from illegal fishing activity in Welsh waters and safeguard Wales’ fishing industry and coastal communities in the years ahead.

The Cabinet Secretary said: “Our new patrol vessels will ensure we can continue to effectively enforce fisheries and marine laws around the seas of Wales and help ensure we meet our commitment to manage our fish stocks sustainably. They will also help safeguard Wales’ fishing industry and our coastal communities in the years ahead.

“I am delighted to announce the names of the new vessels and to see first-hand the considerable progress that Mainstay Marine has achieved in building two of our new fisheries patrol vessels for Wales.”

Stewart Graves, managing director of Mainstay Marine Solutions, said: “We are delighted with the progress of the builds so far. Our design, build and project management teams are enthusiastically engaged in ensuring we deliver a high-quality Welsh product on time and in budget.”