Tributes have been paid to a Master Mariner with a long career in the civil service who died on Monday.

Michael Dolding, of St. David's, passed away aged 60 after a battle with prostate cancer.

He worked for many years at the Department of Marine and Ports, where he rose to the position of Assistant Director and Harbourmaster.

For the past two years he worked as Port Operations Manager for the Corporation of Hamilton, the same organisation where he first began his career after qualifying as a Master Mariner.

Mr. Dolding was praised in Parliament in 2006 by Minister of Tourism and Transport Ewart Brown for his role in the rescue of the Norwegian Crown cruise ship after she ran aground on a reef between Spanish Point and Dockyard.

He also oversaw the refurbishment of the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse after it suffered severe damage in Hurricane Fabian, and wrote a book on the lighthouses of Bermuda.

Kevin Hollis, Assistant Port Operations Manager for the Corporation of Hamilton, said: "He was a great person, very level-headed and very knowledgeable on everything to do with the sea and ships. He was just a really good manager."

Mr. Dolding continued to work for the Corporation between overseas treatments for his illness, which Mr. Hollis said he bore in a "stoic and dignified" manner.

Scott Simmons, head of safety and security at Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre, said: "He was someone who knew the subject of shipping and marine issues throughout Bermuda very well.

"He was someone you could always go to for advice or information."

He recalled how Mr. Dolding was instrumental in measures including radar systems and navigational aids installed in the mid 1980s to prevent ships from grounding on Bermuda's reefs.

Russell Southern, former Deputy Director of Marine and Ports, said: "He was an extremely meticulous person.

"He was a great doer and worked extremely hard. He was a very loyal civil servant to the department."

Captain John Moore, senior vice president of marine operations for Meyer Group, described Mr. Dolding as a great friend for more than 40 years.

"Michael and I had very similar careers. We both obtained our Master's licences in the UK and we both came ashore in Bermuda within a few years," he explained. Michael was a very dedicated person to his job."

Mr. Dolding leaves a wife, Ellie, and a daughter, Tamsyn.

Karen Warren, one of Mr. Dolding's two sisters, explained that he spent his younger years in the Merchant Navy, where he sailed on The Queen of Bermuda as a cadet.

"The sea was in his blood," she said.

Mrs. Warren said Mr. Dolding did not wish to have a formal funeral, but details of a "celebration of life" service and possibly a book of condolence will be released later.

"He was a very humble man and would not want anyone to mourn him. He would want everyone to celebrate his life," she said.