With time limited before its arrived, Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) designed and manufactured a bespoke berth for the Port of Portland’s new tugboat.
Portland Harbour Authority invested in the new tugboat to support the growing business at the port. Following its purchase in Turkey, the vessel went straight into dry dock to be painted in her new company colours and arrived in Portland in early April.
With space tight and time short to prepare a berth for the 287T tug, Portland Harbour Authority approached ICMS to design a bespoke solution. To accommodate the new vessel within the existing operational pontoons, and factor in its higher freeboard, ICMS manufactured a unique 21.5m heavy-duty pontoon with a tailor made 750mm freeboard.
“We are pleased with our existing Inland and Coastal harbour workboat pontoons. I was confident their practical, design engineering skills would solve our new tugboat berth requirement in a tight corner of the harbour,” says Alex Hayes, general manager dryside.
“Within no time at all they had worked out how to make it fit and resolved connecting into existing pontoons and access ways at different levels.”
Benefitting from the new pontoon’s Glass Reinforced Fibre (Work Surface) decking, the tugboat’s crew will have a durable, anti-slip surface to board the tug from, ensuring safe access all year round, whatever the weather.
“Our heavy-duty pontoons are specifically designed for this type of application as they can be adapted to suit a customer’s specific needs, the location and existing infrastructure,” says ICMS sales manager, Jon Challis.
“Once we’d found the solution and the design was agreed, we worked closely with the Portland Harbour Authority to deliver the new berthing facility on time and on budget, ready for its new tugboat’s arrival.”
To find out more about Inland and Coastal’s pontoon ranges and unique decking options visit https://inlandandcoastal.com or email sales@inlandandcoastal.com
