UK: Marine Designs Completes Three Different Commercial Pontoon Projects

Award-winning pontoon specialist Marine Designs Ltd, part of the A&P Group, has completed a trio of commercial projects at opposite ends of the UK demonstrating the strength and diversity of this fast-growing pioneering company. 

Marine Designs Ltd, based in Falmouth, Cornwall, designs, builds and installs heavy-duty, 50-year design life ‘DockMaster’ concrete pontoon systems. These low maintenance pontoons are ideal for vessels from 50 to 2,000 tonnes displacement, with variable usage from offshore wind crew transfer to very large tugs.

The three latest projects include a 26 metre pontoon for a fish farming company in the Outer Hebrides, a 170 tonne single section crew transfer pontoon in Ramsgate, Kent, and a high, freeboard ferry pontoon on the River Fal, in Cornwall.

Drystan Jones, Managing Director of Marine Designs Ltd, said: “We are delighted that all these projects have been installed on time, within budget and to very satisfied customers. The projects show the versatility of the DockMaster pontoon system as all three projects were moored in variable sea states and for a widely different range of vessels.” 

The DockMaster pontoon is built using large, pre-cast concrete panels. The panels are between 150mm and 500mm thick and are manufactured in Cornwall using pre-mined China clay aggregates. Marine Designs Ltd was awarded the South West Green Energy award for this innovation adding to their list of past honours, which includes the Seawork Innovation Award.

Marine Designs Ltd has completed 10 pontoon installations for port operations and maintenance bases in the growing offshore wind energy market and is the biggest supplier to this industry.

In Stornoway, the company supplied three sections of 1m freeboard pontoons for use at a new salmon harvesting station on the island. The pontoons are for the use of the operators at Arnish Quay to moor a 60m well boat, the Ronja Viking, used to discharge the fish ashore. The project was logistically demanding, with the pontoons being shipped from Cornwall and successfully completed in Stornoway within the eight week schedule.

In Ramsgate, an innovative production technique was used to create a single section concrete pontoon, 26m long by 6m wide with a total weight of 170t. The pontoon is to be used to transfer crew for Thanet Offshore Wind Farm and has a deck mounted crane capable of lifting one tonne at 10 metres. The project included an electric vehicle and trailers to transport equipment down the 30-metre access bridge onto the pontoon.

Closer to home on the River Fal, Marine Designs Ltd has created a new ferry landing to provide access at all tides to the picturesque Smugglers Cottage restaurant at Tolverne, part of the Tregothnan Estate. The new ferry landing is 0.9m freeboard and at 5m wide, is perfect for passenger ferry operations.

These projects add to the company’s other recent success stories, which include the unique design and installation of the first floating ferry jetty at Brockhole, on Lake Windermere, and five separate installations, totaling 350 metres of five metre wide pontoon, at Barrow-in-Furness in use by offshore wind farm support vessels.

The DockMaster pontoons are ideally suited for usage as breakwaters, applications for rescue services and the Ministry of Defence as demonstrated by the installation of a  60m of pontoon for A&P Falmouth, for the mooring of two 60m, 750 tonne mine counter measure vessels.

Marine Designs Ltd demonstrates effective solutions to all pontoon requirements, consistently showing creative design and innovative engineering that sets the company apart from other operators in this field.

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Offshore WIND staff, May 18, 2012; Image: Marine Designs Ltd