The total value of the contract is USD170 million (including local VAT @ 21%). At the moment of going live there was no information available if the awarded contract was for maintenance dredging or capital dredging in the port.

The recruitment process has ensured that all of the teams remain at full strength, able to continue to provide high-quality surveys and dredge support.

All three locations use modern Reson multibeam equipment to provide the highest quality survey and charting services, with very rapid processing and delivery times.  ABP was therefore looking for the highest quality candidates with a good knowledge of survey techniques and modern equipment; the ability to learn rapidly; and, perhaps most importantly, the personality and enthusiasm to integrate with the busy and professional marine teams at each of its ports.

Maik Weidt, formerly Hydrography and Charting Officer at Trinity House, was appointed as Port Hydrographer, Southampton.  Maik holds a degree in geomatic engineering from Hamburg City University and worked initially in research where he used GNNS techniques for shelf ice monitoring. Following that he worked on a variety of hydrographic survey projects nearshore / offshore in the UK and overseas.

Commenting on his appointment Maik, who will manage a team of three working to survey and ensure maintenance of safe depths in the UK’s number one cruise port, said: “I am very excited to join the marine department in the Port of Southampton.  Safe port operations for all port users, customers, and seafarers are paramount.  The team and I will be focussing on providing up-to-date charted information, required passage depths, and full availability of all our aids to navigation.”

Three junior surveyor vacancies were all filled by recent graduates from the south coast including Becky Hampshire, who also joined the team in Southampton after completing a four year undergraduate master’s degree in oceanography (MSci Oceanography) at the University of Southampton. Becky said: “For me the main appeal of surveying at ABP is that you get to be involved with the entire process of collecting data, processing it, and finally creating a chart from your findings, whereas in many other organisations you can only be involved with one of these stages.”

Naomi Hyland was appointed to the team in the North West, based at the Port of Barrow.  Naomi completed a master’s degree in marine resource management at the University of Southampton before joining ABP.  She said: “I am excited about becoming a hydrographic surveyor at ABP’s North West Ports as the role is very varied, with work being carried out for four different ports and sometimes beyond.  Everyone has been very welcoming and I look forward to starting my career with ABP.”

Tom Humphries joined the busy team of surveyors responsible for the Humber Estuary, based at the Port of Hull. After completing a degree in marine sciences at the University of Portsmouth, Tom took a post in the data team at ABP Marine Environmental Research (ABPmer) before moving to the hydrographic department at the Port of Hull. Tom said: “The prospect of working on such a large and varied estuary – as well as the chance to move back to my home town – was a key factor in my decision to take up the post.”

William Heaps, ABP Assistant Marine Advisor & Hydrographic Manager, welcomed all four to ABP: “We were lucky to attract a lot of interest in all of our recent vacancies, allowing us to select excellent surveyors to fill all of the posts. The business of port surveying is never dull, with new challenges to be faced every day. I am confident all of our new colleagues will rise to those challenges, and enjoy working with ABP to help keep our ports safe for our customers and port users.”

“Our total volume of 2.27 million tons puts December among the top 10 months on record and the highest performing December ever,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “This figure, boosted in part by outstanding growth in sectors such as bulk and Roll-on/Roll-off cargo, is the result of GPA’s exceptional cargo diversity and overall performance.”

The total tonnage figure was up more than 238,000 tons, or 11.7 percent, compared to the final month of 2011.

December 2012 container tonnage increased by 4.2 percent (72,083) to reach 1.76 million tons. TEU throughput for the month hit 219,128 units, an improvement of 2.2 percent, or 4,656 units, over the previous year.

Colonel’s Island in Brunswick and Savannah’s Ocean Terminal moved a combined 54,884 auto and machinery units, an increase of 18.2 percent, making December the fifth busiest month on record for Roll-on/Roll-off cargo.

“Our December figures show an important uptick in total tonnage across all facilities and impressive auto volumes,” said Board Chairman Robert Jepson. “GPA’s sustained growth and strong performance require continued investment in infrastructure improvements.”

At its meeting Monday, the GPA board heard an update on a project to upgrade eight ship-to-shore cranes to increase hoist speed and productivity. The $2.4 million contract was awarded in December, with work set to begin by the end of January.

Previously, the GPA purchased four new Post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes. The cranes are due to arrive in September, bringing the total number of GPA cranes to 27 – the most of any terminal on the East Coast. The added cranes will allow the GPA to more efficiently serve larger vessels calling on the port. Similarly, Garden City Terminal has the most rubber-tired gantry cranes at 110, with six more currently being assembled on terminal.

Also Monday, Foltz reviewed 2013 fiscal year-to-date numbers. Total tonnage across all terminals improved by 4.1 percent, hitting 13.3 million tons for the first half of the fiscal year. Total Ro/Ro units rose 21.8 percent over the same period in FY2012, reaching 320,998 units. Breakbulk tonnage was up 10.9 percent at 1.3 million, while bulk tonnage increased by 62 percent (463,755 tons) to reach 1.2 million tons. TEUs were down 1.1 percent for the fiscal year to date, at 1.45 million.

This follows the announcement in December 2012 that the Marine Management Organisation had issued the necessary consents to undertake the works.  The removal of 450,000 cubic metres of material at Marchwood will widen the navigation channel by 30m, thus improving accessibility and manoeuvrability for container vessels.

The importance of the work for the port was underlined by the speed in which Boskalis Westminster was able to reposition its dredger, the Manu Pekka (pictured), so that work could start immediately.

The Manu Pekka is a back-hoe dredger fitted with an eight cubic metre bucket which can dredge to a depth of 18.5m.  Four barges were mobilised from as far away as Malmo in Sweden to Southampton to begin their task of ferrying the material dredged by the Manu Pekka to the licensed disposal site off the Isle of Wight.

Paul Datson, Boskalis Westminster’s Head of Capital & Coastal Business Sector, said: “We are glad to be working back in Southampton for ABP again and very pleased to be associated with a relatively small but important part of the overall development.

“While this type of project is relatively straightforward, it involves a significant amount of equipment which we have been able to move to Southampton at short notice.”

Dave Herrod, ABP Engineering Project Manager, said: “The channel widening at Marchwood is the latest part of ABP’s planned investment to further improve the port’s ability to receive the largest container vessels, and we are pleased that Boskalis Westminster has been able to start work so quickly.”

In preparation for the dredge, ABP has worked closely with Marchwood Yacht Club to agree suitable new locations for 17 of its 150 moorings in preparation for the dredge. The new moorings have been located in deeper water in order to meet club members’ requirements to accommodate deeper-draughted yachts.

The work is expected to be complete in March.