CEMEX UK supports Port of Tilbury dredging campaign

By Peter Bell

18 April 2024

CEMEX UK has used the dredging expertise of its UK Marine team to support the Port of Tilbury, with essential dredging to the working berths along the River Thames. The work carried out by the CEMEX team has helped to ensure that the berths are maintained to their designated depths to ensure that vessels from barges to 100,000t ships can access the quayside.

The Port of Tilbury is one of the UK’s largest ports and is located just 22 nautical miles east of central London with 56 operational berths, 31 independent working terminals, 10.2km of quay and 5mft² of warehouse space.

Port of Tilbury is the closest port to London and has a throughput of 16Mta with goods estimated to value around GBP8.7bn (US$10.84bn), making it the largest port on the Thames and therefore essential for the continued supply of materials via shipment in and out of London.

The Port of Tilbury initially teamed up with the CEMEX UK Marine team to explore whether the CEMEX team would be able to support with their requirements to dredge the Tilbury 2 berth to a depth of 15m, within the capabilities of its current fleet. Using the charter vessel MV Reimerswaal, a 130m-long hopper dredger, which can carry nearly 7,500t of materials, CEMEX was able to carry out the work.

Over the course of five days, the vessel successfully extracted over 20,000m³ of spoil from the berth, and disposed of it at an approved site, 40 miles outside of the Thames estuary.

Chris Grosscurth, commercial and logistics manager for CEMEX Marine, said: “The project was a huge success and opens up many other opportunities for CEMEX Marine, complementing our normal Aggregate delivery work.”

Adam Montgomery, harbourmaster and asset manager marine at the Port of Tilbury, said: “Dredging maintenance is an essential part of our business, helping to ensure that we are accessible to the wide range of vessels calling at the riverside berths at the Port of Tilbury. Working with the CEMEX team was seamless, their knowledge and experience was invaluable to ensuring that this operation was carried out successfully again this year.”