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Marine Civils by David Foxwell

DMC Receives First European Order for Xbloc

01 Oct 2005

Delta Marine Consultants (DMC) in Gouda in the Netherlands has granted the civil construction company Charles Brand Ltd a licence for the use of the Xbloc armour unit for the upgrading of the Port of Oriel at Clogherhead, Ireland.

Irelands Port of Oriel is to receive the first Xbloc application in Europe.

Port Oriel will thus be the first application of the Xbloc in Europe, the Xbloc being an innovative concrete interlocking armour unit, designed to protect breakwaters and shores, which was developed by a team of coastal engineers at DMC.

The Xbloc has a high level of hydraulic stability and, compared to other single-layer armour units, has improved structural integrity, DMC claims.

In addition, the Xbloc offers high cost savings as a result of lower concrete use and straightforward positioning requirements.

The Xbloc has been tested extensively at various hydraulic laboratories such as Delft Hydraulics and Delft University in the Netherlands, the Danish Hydraulic Institute in Denmark and CSIR in South Africa, all with positive results.

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