Overwater Various Projects

Friday 30 April 2010

EDF Energy – Teesside Offshore Windfarm

In 2008 Soil Mechanics carried out a £1.4million overwater site investigation for EDF Energy's proposed construction of the Teesside offshore wind farm consisting of 30 turbines. The Haven Seaway jack-up platform with its 34m legs was put to work 3km out at sea to drill 15 combined cable tool/rotary cored boreholes to 50m and undertake 30 Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs) to 30m. High quality Geobor S coring with High Pressure Dilatometer (HPD) testing and Down-Hole Geophysical logging was also carried out.
 

Associated British Ports – Site Investigation at Grimsby Docks
 

In July 2008 Soil Mechanics carried out a £250,000 overwater site investigation at Grimsby docks for Associated British Ports. The work was carried out for a proposed Roll on/Roll off (Ro/Ro) terminal and would determine the ground conditions for the construction of a piled offshore finger jetty and dredging of a berthing pocket to accommodate car transporter ships and a car off-loading area. Soil Mechanics utilised Mowjack II to carry out the site works comprising of 12 boreholes up to 30m deep boring through superficial deposits and high-quality coring of the chalk bedrock. The site works were completed ahead of programme.

E.On – Whitehill Gas Storage

In June 2008 Soil Mechanics carried out a £200,000 site investigation for E.On at the Whitehill Gas Storage Facility for an offshore pump platform requiring a monopole structure located 750m offshore. Soil Mechanics offered a multi–disciplined solution which included advising on the proposed scope of works, the use of jack-up platform Mowjack II, over water geophysics using SM Pelorus Surveys, geotechnical and chemical testing in-house and interpretation of factual data in preparation of the interpretative report including a contamination assessment.
 

Bouygues Travaux Publics – Tyne Tunnel Crossing
 

In October 2007 Soil Mechanics completed a £1.8million combined overwater/land site investigation for the proposed Tyne Tunnel Crossing. This comprehensive site investigation included UXO survey, cable tool boring, cone penetration testing, rotary coring/open holing, in-situ (pressuremeter) testing, instrumentation and monitoring. The proposed New Tyne Crossing would comprise an immersed tube crossing of the River Tyne with cut and cover tunnel sections on the north and south approaches. The site investigation was carried out to confirm the design parameters and ground models adopted in the tender design.

TfL – Thames Gateway Bridge

In April 2007 Soil Mechanics completed a £500,000 overwater contract for the Thames Gateway Bridge and Cross Rail Tunnel Project using the jack-up platform Mowjack I ahead of Transport for London's (TfL) tight sitework schedule. The site was located immediately adjacent to the Woolwich Ferry on the River Thames and involved close co-ordination with the Port of London Authority (PLA) regarding vessel movements along the busy navigation channel. Obstruction lights were fitted to each leg of the platform in accordance with London City Airport (LCA) requirements. Acoustic hoarding was fitted to the platform to enable 24 hour working/7 days a week in accordance with local authority requirements. The work involved high quality Geobor S coring and Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) over a six week period.

Haskoning UK - Riverside Resource Recovery Facility

In February/March 2007 Soil Mechanics carried out a £250,000 overwater contract at the Riverside Resource Recovery Facility using the jack up platform Mowjack I. The work was carried out on programme for Riverside Resource Recovery Ltd., working with the Engineer, Haskoning UK Ltd within Halfway Reach of the River Thames along the alignment of a proposed jetty to facilitate the transport of waste by water to a proposed 'Energy from Waste' facility. It involved the construction of 8 combined cable tool boreholes and Geobor S high quality cored holes to a maximum depth of 35m below bed level together with 15 Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs) to a depth of 15m below bed level.

Haskoning UK – Gt. Yarmouth Outer Harbour Development

In October/ November 2006 Soil Mechanics completed a £200,000 overwater contract with Gardline at Eastport, Great Yarmouth for a proposed outer harbour development. The workcarried out from the jack up platform Mowjack II would provide data for the construction of two rock armoured breakwaters on the sea bed, the enclosed area being dredged as necessary to increase the available draft for proposed shipping. Some reclamation works along the alignment of the existing sea frontage was also proposed. The ground investigation comprised of 28 cable tool boreholes to a maximum depth of 30m below existing sea bed level with associated geotechnical testing and factual reporting to assist Haskoning UK Ltd in the detailed design of the proposed work.

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council - Water Front Regeneration
 

In August 2005 Soil Mechanics completed an overwater ground investigation at Castleford on the River Aire in West Yorkshire. The project was unusual in that the drilling required a stable platform in fast flowing river conditions just below a weir. The solution was to utilise a pontoon with 'spud legs' provided by Mowlem Marine which securely anchored the platform in place to drill boreholes at depths of 20m in three locations to obtain rock cores for analysis. The investigation, valued at £45k, was carried out for Wakefield Metropolitan District Council for a proposed waterfront regeneration project to be known as Castleford Bay incorporating a pedestrian foot bridge across the river.

Forth Ports Developments – New Quay Wall
 

Granton & Western Harbours marine site investigation was a £300,000 inshore contract carried out in February 2005 for Forth Ports Developments Ltd for a proposed new quay wall and dredging operation within the harbour area. The investigation comprised approximately 40 cable tool boreholes some of which were extended by rotary coring techniques using HWF, PWF and Geobor S equipment to a maximum depth of approximately 20m below existing bed level.

Scottish and Southern Energy – Aldbrough Gas Storage
 

Aldbrough Gas Storage Project was a £420,000 in-shore contract carried out in May 2004 for Scottish and Southern Energy Hornsea Limited (SSE) for a proposed pump intake platfor
located approximately 650m off the East Yorkshire Coast. The investigation comprised high quality triple tube rotary wireline (Geobor S) coring to a depth of approximately 30m below sea bed. Two offshore Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs) up to 15m below sea bed were carried out by SM Geocone and the setting out of the exploratory holes was carried out by SM Pelorus Surveys, the in-house in situ testing and geophysical survey divisions of Soil Mechanics, respectively.

Edmund Nuttall Ltd – Coastal Protection Works

In October 2003 Soil Mechanics carried out a £300,000 in-shore site investigation at Scarborough, North Yorkshire for Edmund Nuttall's coastal protection works. The investigation comprised of four cable tool boreholes with conventional rotary cored follow on to approximately 15m. The work was carried out in very rough sea conditions on the rocky foreshore off Marine Drive between Scarborough's North and South Bays.

<< back