Princess Royal officially names new Northern Lighthouse Board vessel

The ceremony took place on Wednesday January 21 2026 at Forth Ports Cruise Terminal in Leith. To mark this historic moment, The Princess Royal broke a bottle of new make whisky spirit produced by the Port of Leith Distillery against the ship’s hull and formally named the vessel POLE STAR. 

The ceremony also marked her official entry into service, keeping mariners in Scottish and Manx waters safe.

Keeping with a longstanding tradition, the vessel’s Port of Registry is Leith.

But she will be based here in Oban, running alongside the board’s other ship, PHAROS. 

Mike Bullock, Chief Executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board said: "Six years ago, we set sail on our journey to replace the fourth POLE STAR, which after many years of loyal service was rapidly approaching the end of her economic life.

"Following a rigorous process to set clear requirements, which captured expert input from the crews who would operate the vessel, we developed ambitious plans for the new POLE STAR. This included improved seakeeping, better and safer buoy servicing operations, as well as towing and firefighting capability in support of other vessels.

"We also specified an improved standard for crew accommodation and the inclusion of substantial environmental enhancements.

"Fast forward to January 2026 and we have achieved all that and more. The new vessel is a step change from what has gone before using new technology to minimise the impact on the environment and brings additional capability to help deal with the effects of Climate Change."