CH Horn has returned to Dover to complete work started there last Summer. The Port of Dover is currently undergoing development as part of its Western Docks Revival project and Jenkins Marine were tasked with dredging roughly 20,000m3 of silts from the existing Wellington Dock Marina, down to harder chalk bed material at roughly +1.8m Chart Datum. We were also commissioned to carry out dredging in the newly opened Dover Marina. Many more vessels have already docked in the Dover Marina since we last visited. This will eventually become home to more than 160 yachts and small leisure craft.
The Wellington Dock marina had not been dredged for several years before we started in 2022, and the dredging will restore previous depths for marina users.
As discussed in our previous article on the project the lock has a width of just 10m, and a length of approximately 28m, meaning that the choice of dredging vessel to complete the works was very limited. Jenkins Marine’s hopper dredger C H Horn was the ideal choice, as her 8.6m beam and 26m length just squeeze into the lock (very snug!), making careful navigation a challenge. Our skippers excelled at this at the project start last year and continue to practice several times a day(!) making full use of CH Horn’s 360 degree azimuth propulsion unit, self-elevating spud legs and shallow draft.
The dredging itself is aided by our new Hyundai HX300 L, long reach excavator equipped with a selection of digging buckets, making it easy to reach and allowing for some precise dredging, a real bonus in a busy marina.
Tidal currents are also famously strong around Dover and skilled navigation is required working around the tidal flows. Dover is a very busy International Port, with Ferries to Calais coming and going every few minutes! Our crew are currently working tidally over the low waters, 24hrs/day, 7 days per week to get the works completed as quickly as possible for the client, and to minimise disturbance to marina users and port traffic.
The new marina opens into the main harbour via another narrow entrance on an angle, requiring more skilled navigation. This was previously made even more challenging by Piling works just outside the entrance causing further restrictions but these are now completed taking some of the pressure off. However, the new marina is now open meaning permission to traverse the port and harbour is carefully controlled by the Port Authority to manage safety of navigation.
The Wellington Dock Marina is one of the best-known marinas on the South Coast. Together with the new Dover Marina they are incredibly convenient for cross-Channel sailing and there are no marinas closer to France, with just 20 miles separating the cliffs of England and France.
Hopper Dredger CH Horn in action dredging at the new Dover Marina.
If you have a requirement for marine operations in shallow or near shore projects, please feel free to get in touch to see where we can help. Alternatively, you can find out more about our dredging operations here: Dredging Services