Bennett’s Barges ring true for Diamond Jubilee

Aggregate Industries’ waterborne transport business plays a leading role in Thames river pageant

ON Sunday 3 June, more than 1,000 boats took to the river Thames to take part in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant in honour of Her Majesty The Queen.

Bennett’s Barges, Aggregate Industries’ waterborne transport resource for London and the South East, were at the forefront of the celebrations with two of their tug and barge vessels undergoing extensive redesign and stabilization work so that they could transport a floating belfry.

The Royal Jubilee Bells, each weighing seven tonnes, were transported along the Thames ahead of the multitude of rowed and paddled boats by the Ursula Katherine and Steven B. Both vessels were suitably painted and decorated for the historic occasion.

One of the largest flotillas of its kind, the floating belfry chimes were answered by those from the riverbank churches and many other churches across The Commonwealth as the formal procession travelled down river from Battersea Bridge to the finish at Tower Bridge.