Designers hired for Jersey harbour works – WATCH

Led by civil engineering contractors VolkerFitzpatrick, VolkerStevin and Geomarine, the design will be done with help from consultancy Arup and Boskalis to reconfigure the harbour to increase freight capacitry and improve passenger experience.

There’s a while to go before the building starts: it is scheduled to begin in the autumn of 2026 and be completed by winter of 2028.

The engineering will be spread across several sites, beginning with the Elizabeth Harbour, which is considered the most urgent because of its ageing infrastructure and out-of-date facilities.

This will entail moving the lift-on lift-off (LoLo) operation to Elizabeth Harbour from New North Quay so that it’s next to the RoRo facility, improving efficiency. A suspended deck will be created to bring together the LoLo and RoRo freight operations, which will need some reclamation and dredging and the construction of a concrete wall and revetment to absorb wave energy and protect against erosion.

Calling the works ‘the next step in the evolution of our maritime heritage’, a spokesman said once the work was complete, operational equipment like cranes and forklifts could be moved from New North Quay to the new suspended deck, consolidating freight operations, improving safety and increasing freight-handling capacity.

“We are pleased to have reached another milestone in the implementation of the Harbour Master Plan,” said Ports of Jersey’s CEO, Matt Thomas. “Our delivery partners are now working on the detailed design for the construction work that will reconfigure Elizabeth Harbour. This will inform exactly how we will manage the construction when work starts next year. The Harbour Master Plan is an incredibly exciting project, providing much needed investment in critical island infrastructure, as well as supporting economic growth and providing an improved experience for our passengers.”