Completion of weeks of repair work in dry dock at Ramsgate were marked with a champagne launch and renaming ceremony for a bulk coaster on Monday.

The 60 metres long Martin, formerly known as the Hoo Marlin, slid slowly down number one ramp of Ramsgate Harbour Slipways after being christened with a bottle of champagne in the traditional way by Mrs Lilian Pink, who launched the vessel 24 years ago when it had just been built at a shipyard in Hull.

Martin’s entrance into the water this week was less dramatic than in 1984 when it was launched sideways.

“Then, the ship hit the water with a big splash, rolled on to its side before rolling back upright and getting us all very wet!” said Mrs Pink, whose husband used to work for the then owners.

The Martin, owned by Coastal Bulk Shipping of Rochester, will trade between harbours along the north Kent coast and destinations as far as southern Portugal. The vessel is able to carry bulk cargoes of aggregates of up to 1,300 tonnes, removing the need for many heavy lorries on the region’s roads.

The Martin has been in dry dock since early April and during that time around 25 tonnes of steel had been replaced on the hull and bottom while the interior had been given a complete makeover, said Ramsgate Harbour Slipways boss David Hawkins. Completing the job on time was vital as another vessel was waiting to be winched up the slipway after the launch, he added.