AN ENGINEERING company is building the big steel structures which will allow Portland Port to welcome some of the world’s largest ships.

Intermarine UK opened a fabrication and welding facility at the port last year.

Acting as subcontractor for project lead CMP Thames Ltd, it will fabricate the structures which will extend the mooring capacity of Queen’s Pier by 40 metres to accommodate the growing number of vessels visiting the port.

The port has seen its cruise business continue to grow, while cargo activity is also increasing.

Intermarine’s steel fabrications will be part of a new mooring “dolphin” at the end of the pier that will create a facility for berthing vessels up to 230m long with drafts up to 10.5m.

Mark Bowden, Intermarine UK’s production manager, said the company had fabricated a 35-tonne “carousel” for the mooring dolphin.

“A steel pile has been driven into the seabed and we’ve created a pipework carousel, a steel frame, that sits on top,” he said.

“Six other piles will be driven through this frame before pre-cast concrete sections and a concrete base are added by CMP Thames to complete the mooring platform.

“In addition, we’ve completed a 40m walkway that connects to the existing extension so you can walk out to the dolphin and take in ropes from a ship when it berths. The final stage will see us fabricate two steel fenders for either side of the dolphin. These will hold large rubber fenders that ships can rest against.”

The steel carousel was built in two sections so it could be moved out of the workshop on a low-loader trailer before assembly. The cost of the project was reduced by the fact that Intermarine is based at the port and there was no need for road transport.

Mr Bowden said the walkway was now ready to be painted and installed, while the platform’s fenders are due to be completed soon.

He added: “This is an important infrastructure project that will increase capacity and flexibility at the port. The dolphin will not only allow more ships to be moored alongside Queen’s Pier, but also larger ships. We’re proud to have played a part in this project, and been able to use our facilities and the skills of our workforce to improve Portland Port’s facilities and support future growth.”

Since establishing its base at Portland last year, Intermarine UK has spent more than £750,000 equipping the site. The investment has allowed the company to expand the range of engineering and fabrication services it offers to the UK’s ship repair, refit, conversion and shipbuilding markets.

The firm played a central role in the assembly of Britain’s two new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, and recently completed construction of a floating platform for the Royal Navy that will allow crew and passengers to board and disembark from the rear of these ships.

In 2018, Intermarine signed a six-figure contract with Merseyside shipyard Cammell Laird to fabricate more than 10 tonnes of piping systems for the RRS Sir David Attenborough polar ship, Britain’s biggest commercial ship building project in more than 30 years.

In June, the business announced it had struck a new agreement with Chinese manufacturer Shandong Pure Ocean Technology to make the Port of Portland one of the UK’s centres for installing ‘scrubber’ anti-pollution systems.