Jenkins Marine, are thrilled to have been involved in the Solent Seascape Project. This multi-million pound, five-year partnership, funded by the Endangered Landscapes Project, aims to restore a wealth of diverse marine species and habitats back to the Solent, in this instance Oysters to the River Hamble.
After careful planning and discussion, and working closely with the River Hamble Harbour Authority and ocean conservation charity Blue Marine Foundation, our team laid a thin veneer of shingle mixed with cockleshells, known as ‘cultch,’ covering 2,500 metres square onto the riverbed.
Our 300m³ capacity, self-propelled and highly manoeuvrable hopper barge Needles was on hand for transportation of the shingle mix to site, while our self-propelled spud-leg, utility vessel Doreen Dorward, with its large open deck, well & moon pool, provided a platform for our excavator to precisely deploy the “cultch” at an even thickness of 150mm. Our Prolec precision digital dredging system (shown right) proved invaluable during this delicate operation.
Louise MacCallum, Solent Project Manager for Blue Marine said:“Jenkins Marine have been the most crucial partner in successfully delivering the Hamble reef. I would like you to pass on my personal thanks… I would also like to personally thank you for all the ideas, solutions, thought and attention you put into this project. It has been a genuine pleasure working with you and the whole Jenkins Marine team.“
Oysters sourced from south Wales are being transferred to the site to seed the area at the Swanwick bend in the River. This has been a successful project which we are proud to have been a part of and we look forward to working on further projects with Blue Marine in the future. In 2021 the Solent Seascape Project team restored a 1,000 square metre oyster reef in Langstone Harbour. To date, this existing reef and the new reef in the River Hamble are the only restored reefs in the Solent region.
You can find out more about the Hamble Oyster Reef Project from the following sources:
- Blue Marine Foundation: https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/2023/04/03/solent-seascape-project-takes-huge-step-forward/
- BBC NEWS: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c72dkg8engko/
- Endangered Landscapes Programme: https://www.endangeredlandscapes.org/project/solent-seascape/
 proved invaluable during this delicate operation. Utility vessel Doreen Dorward and hopper Needles at Hamble River reef creation Prolec 3D Dredge system in action on River Hamble Hamble River reef creation Louise Mac CallumLouise MacCallum, Solent Project Manager for Blue Marine said: “Jenkins Marine have been the most crucial partner in successfully delivering the Hamble reef. I would like you to pass on my personal thanks… I would also like to personally thank you for all the ideas, solutions, thought and attention you put into this project. It has been a genuine pleasure working with you and the whole Jenkins Marine team.“){kind=link}