The Bristol Port Company has initiated development work on a new deep water container terminal in the Bristol Channel. The development is designed to service not only today’s large container ships, but also successive generations of Ultra Large Container Ships up to 14,000 TEU and 16m draught, as and when they enter service.

The detailed sampling programme designed by consultants Royal Haskoning required a total of 37 vibrocores up to 5m deep in a variety of sediments including sands, silts and stiff clays to be collected.  The strong tidal conditions tested the vessel crew and geotechnical surveyors with tidal streams reaching a maximum of 4 to 5 knots. The spring tidal range in the estuary is exceptional and can be up to 12.3m at Avonmouth.  The greatest range at Avonmouth can be as much as 15.0 metres.

The electrically powered High Performance Corer obtains 80mm diameter cores up to 6m depth in most sediments.  MV FlatHolm has been purposely modified to deploy the latest vibrocoring equipment.  Exceptional core sampling rates were achieved bearing on mind the conditions, with the entire sampling programme completed ahead of schedule.  The specifications also required sediment sub-samples from the vibrocores to be taken and then chilled or, ideally, frozen.  Coastline Surveys organised overnight freezing and storage at the end of each day followed by specialist daily courier transport to the approved laboratories in Scotland whilst still remaining frozen.

Now in its 16th year, with head offices recently moved to new waterside premises in Falmouth, Cornwall UK, Coastline Surveys now has workshops alongside the berthing area, from where it can service an expanding fleet of hydrographic survey and charter workboats ranging from 7m to 23m. Mobilisation around the country is also much improved.