Bennett's Barges welcome new Thames vessels

First of eight new barges gets to work removing spoil from Thames Tideway Tunnel project

AGGREGATE Industries, through their joint venture with Bennett’s Barges, have welcomed the first of eight new vessels which will add significant tonnage-carrying capacity on the river Thames as part of the long-term Thames Tideway Tunnel project, primarily based at the Carnwath Road Riverside construction site.

Bennett’s Barges’ role on the 25km tunnel project is to ensure the efficient removal of 800,000 tonnes of spoil produced by the tunnelling process, at the required rate and in a safe and environmentally friendly way.

The company is working for the BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty (BMB) joint venture, which is delivering the 7km west section of the tunnel.

As part of its commitment to this project, the Aggregate Industries and Bennett’s Barges joint venture has procured eight specialist barges to carry the spoil along the river.

Bennett’s Barges will also be employing and training up to 24 marine operatives, including a number of skippers, to operate the fleet.

The joint venture has also procured two new state-of-the-art tugs, each with an innovative rising bridge designed specifically for this project and crewed by boat masters from Bennett’s Barges.

Churchill, the first of the new 1,500-tonne capacity barges, recently completed its voyage to London and was immediately put to work. It will be followed shortly by the arrival of a new 1,000-tonne capacity barge, Phoebe. All eight barges will be fully operational by April 2018.