Red7Marine Portland Port New Deep-Water Berth

Portland Port New Deep-Water Berth

24 April 2023

Watson & Hillhouse are delighted to have supplied a range of crane-suspended vibrators, hydraulic drop hammers and power packs to Red7Marine for this project to extend the original deep-water berth to 250m in length and have a new water depth of 12m CD.

The contract, awarded to Red7Marine, was to create a new 400m combi-wall structure. This was achieved by installing 136 new steel tubular piles and intermediate sheet piles. The piling was carried out from the deck of Red7Marine’s jack-up barge, the Haven SeaChallenger, which was towed from Ramsgate around the coast to Portland ready for the piling operation to begin.

The £26m investment by Portland Port & Portland Harbour Authority Ltd, includes major berth developments to grow the port’s cruise capacity and cargo handling operations and continue to service vessels from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Royal Navy.

The development included the demolition of the pier structure constructed in 1978 and the piling and infill of a new solid quay structure. The improvements will allow the port to accept two cruise ships up to 350m long at the same time and, is expected to be completed by 1st May 2023.

Alex Hayes, Landside General Manager at Portland Port who is overseeing the project, said: “This is a key investment for the port and demonstrates our commitment to the continued development of our infrastructure.”