16-Dec-2002

The Port of Felixstowe today announced that Costain has been awarded the £28 million civil engineering contract for the extension of the Port’s Trinity Terminal. The Port was granted the Harbour Revision Order to proceed with the 270-metre extension in October 2002, following a Public Inquiry into the proposals earlier in the year.

The Port of Felixstowe selected Costain from a shortlist of three other major civil engineering contractors. Apart from submitting the most competitive bid, an important factor in this decision was Costain’s previous experience of working at Felixstowe. The company was responsible for the construction of the previous extension of Trinity Terminal by 630 metres, which was completed in 1996.

Work on the extension will commence in mid-February 2003. The quay is expected to be fully operational by March 2004, though sections of it will be operational before this date.

As well as the construction of the quay, the channel approach will be dredged to -14.5 metres continuous with the extension, and alongside the berth to -15 metres. The work will also include the beneficial use of dredged clay to create habitat enhancements on the Trimley and Shotley foreshores.

The Trinity Terminal extension will provide an additional 270 metres of deep-water quay, enabling the Port to handle more of the latest generation of large container ships simultaneously. It will also provide 15 hectares of additional container storage space. The expansion of the Port will increase capacity by some 415,000 TEUs, to well over 3 million TEUs per annum.