The Port of Workington is located at the mouth of the River Derwent on the North East coast of the UK, within sight of the beautiful Cumbrian Lake District National Park (seen in the background of the photograph).
The dredging contract was awarded to Rhode Nielsen following the evaluation of the first call-off tenders under the new Port of Workington Maintenance Dredging Framework. The specialist dredging consultants The Bates Partnership (TBP) assisted the Port with the formation of the Framework and carried out the evaluation of the call-off tenders. TBP are also overseeing the dredging works on behalf of the Port.
Maintenance dredging, to remove approximately 130,000m³ of material, will be carried out in the Navigation Channel, Turning Basin and Dock to restore depths in advance of the winter period. The port is tidally restricted which means that only shallow draught dredgers are suitable for the task and even then, at the start of the campaign, can only usually work for the upper half of the tidal cycle. The dredging is anticipated to take 4-5 weeks to complete.
TBP have assisted the Port of Workington with their dredging, survey, licensing and marine environmental matters for many years and have developed a detailed understanding of the complexities of the local environment and the sedimentation patterns, which can be heavily influenced by the behaviour of the River Derwent. This means that dredging can be targeted in a manner that provides best value for money to the Port.