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Milford Haven Goes Green with Plastic Timber
01 Oct 2002
The Milford Haven Port Authority in the UK has demonstrated its commitment to conservation by using fender pilings made of recycled plastic in place of rain forest hardwood. During a £130,000 planned maintenance of their pilot jetty, the Authority and their consultants from the Babtie Group opted for fender pilings manufactured by Plastic Pilings of California USA.
The opportunity to use an acceptable, sustainable alternative to greenheart was part of a long-term objective set by the Authority, which was also seeking to reduce overall through-life maintenance costs.
Plastic Pilings has already supplied substantial quantities of plastic timber and pilings to Portsmouth Naval Base over the past five years but Milford Haven represents a breakthrough placement in a British commercial port.
As the new fender piles were replacing worn or damaged timber piles, Plastic Pilings were able to design the new fenders to aid the installation process. Working with Babtie, the steel reinforcing bars that give strength to the plastic were arranged to suit their overall design requirements. This enabled the original method of fixing to be used to speed installation.
The 300 mm by 300 mm steel reinforced plastic fenders were thus designed and manufactured specifically for the job. They were delivered pre-drilled and on schedule direct to site, ready for installation by contractors Kingswood Engineering of Pembroke Dock.
MJ Information No: 17529
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