NEW BREAKWATER COMPLETED IN RAMSGATE HARBOUR

A major new scheme to protect Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour Marina, which will increase the number of vessels berthed there, has been completed.

The project to replace the existing breakwater in the Eastern outer marina has cost £930,000 and has been managed by the harbour owners, Thanet District Council. The breakwater helps to absorb wave energy and protect boats in the harbour.

Contractors Marinetek UK and Commercial Marine and Piling were given the task of bringing in each of the nine concrete floating breakwater units piece by piece. Each weighs around 42 tons and were delivered four nautical miles offshore in deep water. They then had to be towed into the harbour by R Cannon and Sons and NE Murray Tugs, where they were then assembled.

The previous breakwater will now be used as finger pontoons, doubling the capacity from 14 to 28 vessels and generating additional income for the harbour.

Harbourmaster Robert Brown said: “This has been an excellent example of everyone working together to deliver a really high quality scheme on time and on budget that will benefit the harbour for many years to come. It’s also been about creative thinking. We knew that, although the facility we had was at the end of its operational life in protecting the outer marina, we could still find a use for it. By putting in to create additional berthing space, we can now generate extra income for the harbour.”

The work has been funded by Thanet District Council, with some money also coming from a European Interreg programme called PATCH, which stands for Ports Adapting to Change. This aims to diversify port operations by developing new maritime activities and markets and helping to strengthen cross-border cooperation and efficiency between the ports.

It’s part of ongoing work by the council at the harbour, which has recently seen more dredging carried out and the introduction of a smart electricity metering project for harbour customers.