Bellingham Marine New Zealand were contracted in the late part of 2020 to extend the north face of the Waikawa Marina in the stunning Marlborough sounds, providing 251 brand new berths. With 227 piles to be installed with the addition of manufacturing and installation of 401 pontoons, this was an exciting time for our team and a challenging time ahead.

Back in Dec 21, the decision was made to pre-pile the marina whilst the outer fixed breakwater was being built simultaneously, a challenging moment for the team being exposed to the wave climate and ferry wakes. Instead of the traditional method of piling through the pontoon rings, the team instead used state of the art GPS surveying equipment which enabled the team to accurately able to set out the piling – without a breakwater.

‘ The pre piling methodology using our own GPS set out equipment has been a great success resulting in a complete installation of pontoons without any modifications to pile guides or layouts required.’ – Dave Lamont, Operations Manager

Whilst piling continued, recently developed pontoons began to be floated into the waters nearby for assembly. Our specialised Unifloat® pontoons, were designed with aluminium connections, eliminating all necessary needs for galvanised steel components, whilst featuring fibreglass rebar internally, removing the metal components fabricated from traditional steel rebar. By using this technology, it will  ensure product longevity and reduce on – going maintenance costs for Port Marlborough.

The final pontoon was delivered late January 2023 and the official opening soon to be held in April.

To read more about this project or find out more about the Bellingham Marine team in New Zealand, visit our website at www.bellingham-marine.com or visit our social media pages @bellinghammarine.nz

 

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