New investment for improved ferry berth facilities

This year, after more than 25 years’ service,  the linkspan used to load and unload vehicles and freight from ferries at Berth 4 at Portsmouth International Port is due to be replaced as part of a multi-million pound project to improve facilities.

The existing linkspan, which acts as a drawbridge between a ferry and the port, is coming to the end of its operational life. The double decked structure has played a key role at Portsmouth International Port, providing a smooth service for 40,000 ferry movements.

The work to replace it has just begun and Ravestein has now begun designing the new double deck structure, and will begin construction in Holland in the coming months.

Later this year the new linkspan will be towed from Deest in Holland to Portsmouth International Port. Work to install it will begin in December, with a tight schedule planned to minimise disruption to ferry and cruise services.

Ravestein has previously worked on other successful projects at the Port; fabricating and installing the linkspan at Berth 3, and converting the linkspans at Berths 1 & 2 from semi-buoyant to fully-buoyant  operations.

Managers at Portsmouth International Port see this investment in new facilities as a long term commitment to an important customer, with the linkspan being mainly used by Brittany Ferries.

The investment in the new linkspan is part of an ongoing commitment to improving facilities at Portsmouth International Port. In recent years millions of pounds have been spent on a number of important projects which include  lengthening Berth 2; removing the ‘floating dock jetty’ to improve navigation; dredging to greater depths for larger cargo ships and moving HMS Bristol to increase the turning circle for larger vessels.