The first concrete pour in the construction of a new RoRo terminal at Tilbury2 took place on Friday 21st June 2019.

Tilbury2, a “Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project”, involves the construction of a new multi-million pound port terminal on land at the former Tilbury Power Station at the north bank of the River Thames.

Once complete, the RoRo terminal area, covering 220,000m2, the equivalent of over 30 football pitches, will operate freight ferries to Europe and facilitate the transportation of trailers and containers.

It will also accommodate a single storey, rail served warehouse, which will replace the existing “Maritime” terminal warehouse.

To ensure the successful completion of this initial phase, we have constructed a concrete batching plant on site.

This temporary facility will lead to a more efficient process and help to reduce construction traffic on the neighbouring public roads.

It is expected that concrete pouring of almost 400m3 per day (enough to cover 2000m2) will take place on a daily basis from June right through to January.

The Type 1 Aggregate used to create the concrete is specifically shipped into Tilbury from an energy neutral quarry in Norway.

One shipload of approximately 38,000 tonnes of the aggregate will be delivered monthly.

Incredibly, it takes 30 HGV lorries, working in tandem 24/7 over a 72-hour period, to offload each boat.

Progress

Thomas Craven, GRAHAM Contracts Manager, is delighted with the early progress on site.

“Tilbury2 is a major infrastructure project, and one of the most significant port schemes that we have ever undertaken at GRAHAM,” said Thomas, who is also overseeing the GRAHAM Victoria Terminal 2 programme at Belfast Harbour.

“This is a complex project on a vast scale, with a range of different elements. We are responsible for two sizeable packages (Terrestrial and Marine), and with a challenging 94-week programme we have to be very efficient throughout every phase.

“I’m particularly satisfied with the progress we have made since beginning on site in March 2019. The first concrete pour was another important milestone, and when you analyse the quantities of materials involved, you get a real sense of the magnitude of Tilbury2.”

Innovation

In mid-March, our specially commissioned 250tn crawler crane completed the offloading of 800tn of sheet piles, materials required for the Construction Materials and Aggregates Terminal (CMAT) berth cut off wall (approximately 300m long).

Demonstrating our innovative approach, the first sheet piles were then installed in April using a GRAHAM designed, bespoke floating piling gate.

Our own pontoon sections were also used to build the gate.

“We used this floating piling gate for the first time on any project at Tilbury2, and it proved a real success. It meant that our team could work consistently throughout the day without stopping due to tidal factors,” added Thomas.

“It’s another good example of great work by all involved in the design development and subsequent operation of this innovative solution.

“To ensure our programme maximises the working area available, we are also committed to working the Upstream RoRo and the CMAT berth simultaneously.”