Minerva House River Wall Restoration

Restoring a river wall is a significant undertaking – so, as with most marine civil engineering projects on the Thames, the first task was securing the right permissions for work to be carried out.

Livett’s obtained a Temporary River Works Licence from the Port of London Authority on Szerelmey’s behalf, clearing the way for the marine works programme to begin.

With permissions in place, Scheldemond II was fitted with two new 15-metre spud legs and moored on site using both the spuds and two 2-tonne anchors. As well as anchoring the operation, Scheldemond II doubled as the site’s welfare and equipment storage hub, keeping the works team supplied and supported without needing to return to shore.

For access to the wall itself, a bespoke modular pontoon platform was provided by Aqua-Dock and moored alongside Scheldemond II, providing low-level access directly to the brickwork for cleaning and replacement.

Positioning and moving a barge of this scale precisely against a river wall took its own dedicated support. Scheldemond I was used to manoeuvre Scheldemond II into position and repositioned her a further three times as the works progressed along the wall.

Crew transfer and safety cover were provided by Romeo Lima, moving the team to and from site via Butler’s Wharf Pier throughout the programme. Mobilisation and demobilisation of the fleet for the project was carried out at Durham Wharf.

The restoration programme was completed successfully across the full seven weeks, with the river wall at Minerva House cleaned and repaired without incident or disruption to the surrounding river traffic.

Ed Livett, Managing Director of Livett’s, said: “We have been delivering marine civil engineering projects like this on the Thames for decades. Our depth of experience and varied fleet is exactly what clients such as Szerelmey need when the work involves anchoring against a live river wall for such a length of time.

“Projects like this might not have the glamour of a Hollywood film shoot on the river, but they’re no less important. Getting the licensing, mooring, and safety processes absolutely right on a job like Minerva House is critical – not just to the works team, but to the safety of everyone else using the Thames and the surrounding area while work is carried out.”