The first 6,000-tonne caisson started its journey from Cromarty Firth this week to Aberdeen’s South Harbour, a marine support center for the oil and gas industry, marking what has been described as another landmark stage with Aberdeen Harbour’s £350-million expansion project.
The first caisson measures 50 meters long, 15 meters wide and an incredible 16 meters deep and will be used to form the closed quay section of the development.
GPS equipment will be used in the harbor to position the caisson into its designated location with an accuracy of +/- 20mm. It will then be filled with water to sink it to the sea bed. When in place, various fill material will be used to displace the water.
A total of 22 caissons will form the foundations of Castlegate and Dunnottar Quays, which will be 540 and 400 meters long respectively.
Keith Young , Engineering Director at Aberdeen Harbour Board, said: “The arrival of the first caisson in South Harbour will be significant milestone in the expansion project, and a logistical achievement for us all. I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who has been involved in the design, manufacture, transport and positioning of these caissons.
“Aberdeen South Harbour is of vital significance for our region and the rest of the country, and we look forward to the remaining caissons arriving as the project progresses.”
The caissons have been manufactured in La Coruna in North-west Spain and travel more than 1,000 miles by sea to the Cromarty Firth for quality checks and inspections. They are then individually towed to Aberdeen, when required, as the construction of South Harbour continues.
The harbor expansion project will provide enhanced facilities and capacity to the oil industry and help capitalize on Scotland’s growing cruise tourism and renewables markets.