Brake second berth expansion under way

Pile driving on the second berth extension began in April and completion is expected in spring next year. It will add 180m to the 270m long Niedersachsenkai and create a 450m quay for optimal and swift handling of two ships of up to 210m length, drawing a maximum of 11.90m. Draught will increase to 12.8m when planned deepening of the Lower Weser is completed.

A consortium comprising Tiefbau GmbH ‘Unterweser’ in Oldenburg and F + Z Baugesellschaft in Hamburg is doing the work. It is the same team that handled the initial Niedersachsenkai development, completed in 2008.

Niedersachsen Ports (N Ports) said about 2,500 tons of sheet piling and 80 piles of up to 35m length, as well as 40 slanted anchor piles of up to 56m length and about 170 concrete piles up to 25m length were being deployed in the extension. The new quay fender will have six 125 ton capacity mooring bollards.

‘The port of Brake is bursting at the seams and because of pleasing cargo development last year, the demand for handling space has risen enormously’, said Lower Saxony Economics Minister Jörg Bode.

The extension is costing €17.5m and is being financed under a cooperation deal between N Ports, of which Brake is a member, and Salzgitter Mannesmann, a main user of the facility. The overall Niedersachsenkai development is costing €37.5m.

N Ports spokesman Heiko Ulflacker told MJ the Niedersachsenkai would concentrate on handling iron and steel products, project loads and wind energy turbine plant as well as timber products, grain and feedstuffs. ‘We expect an early end to the economic crisis’, he said.

By Tom Todd