New quay for the Tyne

The concreted, fully serviced quay, which is 100m long, replaces its old, timber predecessor on the south bank of the River Tyne. It will give vessels berthed alongside direct access to water, electricity and other utilities and, most importantly, has been specifically designed and built to allow direct load-out. This means that the huge modules and equipment being built at A&P Tyne, such as the sections for Britain’s new aircraft carriers, after final assembly on the quay can be driven directly off the new quay on to barges or other seagoing vessels.

The West Quay development at Hebburn completes the second of a three phase £9m investment in its yard on the Tyne by A&P Group. Neil Jarvis, sales and commercial director at A&P Tyne said, ‘It allows us to tender for business that we were unable to carry out previously. West Quay offers an enhanced service and lets us literally drive modules and heavy kit directly from land to sea. This facility will be of interest to both potential and existing A&P Group clients in the oil and gas, renewables and marine sectors. The West Quay can accommodate very large and heavy structures for final assembly and load-out, giving us access to wider marine and energy markets.’

A&P employed local contractor Southbay Civils from Wallsend and design company W A Fairhurst to design, construct and develop the new West Quay. The work involved driving steel tubular piling 35m deep along the waterfront, sinking additional piles tied to the river bank, then resting a suspended concrete deck on top, additionally tied to a further new concrete slab. It is tailor made for deepwater berthing so vessels can moor alongside and hook up to every utility directly from the quay.