The civil engineering arm of the Livett’s Group began work at Baynard House – Blackfriars last month to assist in the relocation of the water cooling intake shaft for British Telecom further towards the centre of the river. A cofferdam will be constructed as engineers carry out the work in anticipation of the repositioning of Blackfriars Pier downstream.
Our client, BAM Nuttall, is building the cofferdam and required two flat top pontoons at the site for craneage and as a working platform. To do this Livett’s sourced the required plant which was then mobilised from Tilbury Dock to the Central London site using the tug Steven B, which also towed to the site a 2nd barge, the Herbosch Kiere Jack Up Octopus, on charter to BAM Nuttall. This versatile jack-up barge is now carrying a 180 tonne crane while the flat top spudded pontoon Devon is carrying a 130 tonne crane.
Challenges
Navigating London’s Bridges of the tidal Thames is never without its challenges and towing the jack-up barge Octopus with her huge spud legs proved no exception. Put simply, there was no way the barge could be towed with the spuds in situ (owing to a 28m air draft) hence the Livett’s pontoon, Rover, was brought in to carry the spuds which were then re-instated once Octopus was on site at Baynard House. Chris Livett coordinated and oversaw the safe inward passage of Octopus from on board and, with minimal clearances under bridges and below the waterline. She is now safely in situ, working to plan.
Another general challenge for this project is the busy and well-regulated environment in that region of the Thames, with constant traffic in the area. Livett’s have worked closely with stakeholders and the PLA to ensure the best health and safety standards are understood and adhered to throughout the project, with the objectives to cause minimum disruption to other river users.
Work began in mid-November and is set to continue until the summer of 2015. Throughout the project Livett’s work boat the Eddie C will remain on site as a safety boat as those involved work around the clock and tide times. A guard boat/tug will join the Eddie C at the site in the New Year as an added safety precaution.
A marine logistics centre was also established at Thames Wharf Silvertown in order to facilitate the frequent transportation of necessary civil engineering equipment via water, avoiding hundreds of lorry movements in central London.
The work at Baynard House adds to a list of significant civil engineering assignments that Livett’s Group has been involved in this year and is another great example of how the team are able to plan and also improvise to execute the needs of each client and provide a turnkey solution thanks to our range of available services. To contact us about marine civils and the services we have on offer, please call us on 020 7378 1211 or email us at info@livetts.co.uk.
