A joint venture formed by specialised contractors, BAM Nuttal and Van Oord, began dredging on 6 June when trailer suction dredgers, WD Mersey, Sospan Dua and the UKD Orca removed 75,000m³ of alluvial silts from the site.
The second phase saw the water injection dredger, Jetset, displacing a further 180,000m³ of silts.
Backhoe dredger, Goliath, is due to start work on 5 September, removing a further 315,000m³ of clay, while the Artemis cutter section dredger will remove 588,000m³ of underlying rock, sand and gravels for reuse in the infill operations behind the quay wall.
Peel Ports says the work n the quay wall will benefit from extensive land-based construction already underway to support the marine works, including demolitions, site clearance and site offices.
Piling operations are due to start on 10 September, with rock drilling to provide sockets for the 47 tonne 1.8m diameter 40m long steel combi piles. Around 19,000 tonnes of steelwork and 30,000 tonnes of concrete will be required for the construction of the quay wall alone.
The new terminal, which is due to open in 2015, will enable a new generation of container ships with a capacity of up to 13,500 teu to call directly as the Port of Liverpool.
The £300m investment will allow worldwide container ships to connect with the north of the UK and Irish Sea hub, and so access a market estimated at 4m teu a year.
