The second and final stage of the upgrade of the berthing facilities by Walcon at Ports of Jersey’s Albert Pier in St. Helier Harbour, has been completed.
The aim of this part of the project is to create up to 26 new berths with 24-hour access for some of Jersey’s larger vessels. This will free up space in other marinas while also benefitting the local maritime community including marine traders and sea charter operations as well as boat owners.
Following the replacement in 2014/15 of piers 4 and 5, Walcon Marine returned in late 2021 to install new piers 1, 2 and 3 at the entrance to the harbour. This involved the installation of a three-metre wide back walkway, constructed using Walcon’s System 21 pontoons, and 13 piled fingers. 10 of these, all 25 metres in length, are also System 21. The remaining three; 28 metres, 25 metres and 12 metres in length respectively, have been built using Walcon’s all-steel, commercial-grade Docking Solutions product and fitted with grey, GRP mesh, non-slip decking. Finally, a steel bridge gives dedicated access via a security gate to this commercial-grade section of Albert Pier’s mooring facilities.
Walcon Marine was working as a sub-contractor to Geomarine, a local civil engineering contractor with whom it has worked with in the past in the Channel Islands. The work of installing rock sockets in the seabed and then inserting the steel piles was undertaken by Fugro. The Albert Pier project is an important investment by Ports of Jersey and is part of its commitment to continue to invest in critical infrastructure. The regeneration of the Albert Pier area will help ensure that the harbour is able to meet the needs of the island well into the future.
The new pontoons are currently being used as temporary berths during the current refurbishment of the nearby St Helier Marina, which is due to be completed by the end of May 2022.
