Esh completes Northumberland Energy Park dock upgrade
Esh Construction has completed the £8.35 million fit out of the Ash Barge Dock at Northumberland Energy Park, creating a reinforced concrete berth capable of supporting the offshore energy sector’s heavy logistics demands.
The upgrade, delivered in partnership with Advance Northumberland, involved installing 173 tubular steel piles—each 610mm in diameter and driven to depths of up to 18.5m—to support a new reinforced concrete relieving slab. A total of 3,000m³ of concrete was poured to form the slab, providing a safe working load of 5,300kN.
Located near the Port of Blyth, Northumberland Energy Park is part of the Energy Central cluster, a strategic UK base for offshore and subsea industries. The dock is now equipped to handle the import and export of components and finished goods linked to renewables and marine infrastructure.
Further works included casting 700m³ of 540mm thick transition slabs and 8,100m² of 300mm thick concrete paving, completed across 60 separate pours, totalling 6,130m³ of concrete overall.
The project also involved the hydro-demolition and replacement of mooring infrastructure, drainage upgrades, and decommissioning of legacy culverts from the old Blyth power station.
Steven Garrigan, divisional director at Esh Construction, said: “We’ve built strength into the dock's infrastructure to meet the demands of modern industry and support more intricate projects in the renewable energy sector.”
Steven Harrison, chief executive at Advance Northumberland, added: “This vital infrastructure will support growth in offshore energy and manufacturing, helping to drive regeneration and skilled job creation across Northumberland.”
Last year, Esh installed 175 tubular steel piles, each between 16 and 18.5m long, the foundation for the 1m thick reinforced concrete relieving slabs that now will span the west and north quay walls. The team also constructed 540mm thick transition slabs and a 300mm thick general paving access road to ensure vehicles and heavy equipment can operate safely on site.
The dock’s stormwater drainage was also upgraded, with new QMAX drainage channels connected to a modern stormwater system, complete with bypass interceptor tanks to handle runoff effectively. Hydro-demolition techniques were used to remove existing capping beams, paving the way for replacing the old 30-tonne bollards with 50-tonne bollards, ready to berth larger vessels.
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