News of Tristan da Cunha's Calshot Harbour Refurbishment

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Calshot Harbour

Loss of heavy duty crane poses major problems for Tristan MV Edinburgh arrived at Tristan da Cunha on Thursday 1^st May, but unloading was delayed (see Shipping News Page) This is the first incoming ship following the collapse of the main boon on Calshot Harbour s heavy duty crane on 11^th April (See story below). Some bulk cargo, due to be transported to Tristan aboard MV Edinburgh has been left in Cape Town as it will be too heavy to unload. The island’s 20 tonne barge Atlantic Isle can’t be lifted into the water by the remaining crane, and the two smaller barges have a capacity of only 4 tonnes. The logistics of importing parts for a replacement crane (for which funding has been secured), to provide the lift required to launch Atlantic Isle and also ensure building work can proceed to begin re-building the fish processing factory, has yet to be confirmed. At least the old crane managed to lift a replacement electricity generator in March to restore 24/7 electricity to the village, and Operation Zest managed to shore up the damaged Calshot Harbour . Nevertheless the loss of the crane is giving the island Government another unwanted challenge as autumn turns to winter and with the fishing season due to start on 1^st July without a shore-based factory for the first time since the 1961 volcanic eruption.
	Tristan faces another setback as harbour crane's boom collapses Soon after the euphoria of the successful Operation Zest to repair Calshot Harbour, Islanders were aghast to learn that their heavy duty crane's boom had collapsed on Friday 11th April as graphically shown in the two photographs left from Administrator David Morley. Fortunately no-one was injured. The Tristan Government are now taking advice about how equipment and materials for the construction of the new fish processing factory will come ashore. Plans had already been made to replace the ageing crane, and an EDF Grant for a replacement is secured. But how will the new crane be brought ashore? This is the third major infrastructure crisis for the world's most isolated community in the last year following the near-collapse of Calshot Harbour (now thankfully rectified) and the destruction of the fish processing factory by fire on 13th February. It also comes on the day (Friday 11th April) when unprecedented austerity measures were announced to Islanders by Administrator David Morley ~see Budget News 2008. The importance of this crane in shown in the picture left, taken on Friday 7th March as it was able to transfer the new electricity generator from a RFA Lyme Bay barge onto an awaiting trailer.


We have separate pages showing details of Operation Zest which carried out important repairs to Calshot Harbour early in 2008 : ~ News of Operation Zest Part 1 ~ Operation Zest Part 2 and news of Zest Personnel Ashore ~ News of Zest Invasion See also : Calshot Harbour Page in the Settlement Section and of the Lyme Bay's journey south on the Shipping News Page.
Harbour Repair Work Starting Soon: Kelso bringing survey team; Royal Engineers to arrive in February On Sunday 13th January Administrator David Morley took the opportunity to brief the community about plans for the harbour repair project, which looks set to begin with a visit next week by 10 Royal Engineers on a specially chartered MV Kelso to conduct a reconnaissance study. If all goes well, this will be soon followed by the main event - a visit by the RFA Lyme Bay from UK carrying a party of 50 Royal Engineers as well as all the plant and materials necessary to repair the harbour and begin its refurbishment. David followed this excellent news by playing "Rule Britannia" in honour of the impending visit! The Lyme Bay should arrive at Tristan towards the end of February .
Question in the House of Lords on 29th October 2007 Lord Jones of Cheltenham asked Her Majesty's Government: "What assessment they have made of the erosion of and consequent damage to the landing area in the harbour on Tristan da Cunha and whether they have any plans to carry out urgent repairs and improvements to the landing area." The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (Baroness Vadera) replied that "Halcrow Group has recently carried out a site survey and physical modelling of Calshot Harbour, Tristan da Cunha, on behalf of the Department for International Development (DfID). Halcrow Group is due to submit designs and cost estimates for the rehabilitation of the harbour by the end of October 2007. DfID will then seek expressions of interest from construction firms to carry out the work. In addition to the rehabilitation work, Halcrow Group has recommended urgent repairs to the wave wall, dolos slope, fishing quay davit and west breakwater, which cannot wait until the rehabilitation work has been tendered. DfID has instructed Halcrow Group to seek contractors to carry out the emergency repairs as soon as possible." Tristan Administrator David Morley is awaiting firm news of the emergency work being carried out.
	Report on the current state of Calshot Harbour from Administrator Mike Hentley received 19th July 2007
	The harbour continues to take a battering from the austral winter storms which are still preventing the 07/08 fishing season from getting under way. The Governor announced in February last year a rehabilitation project to be supported by British and EU funding. As well as the much needed repairs to the existing structure, it is planned that the project will also deepen the harbour basin, install a working slipway, and realign, support and extend the breakwaters to create a safe access channel.
	Halcrow Group Ltd are the project consultants and, after arranging specialist survey visits to Tristan last September followed by detailed wave modeling studies, they are producing a design for the proposed rehabilitation and upgrading to enable the work to be tendered by qualified contractors. This means that they are currently still involved in the pre-construction Phase 1 of the harbour rehabilitation and the phasing of work leading to the beginning of the contract award and construction are awaited. See the original projected plans below announced in February 2006.
	The three photos left and above from Factory Manager Erik Mac Kenzie show an area of subsidence under the west wall which flags up the message that repairs are needed sooner rather than later.

	£2 million Harbour Improvement Announced HE Governor Michael Clancy announced on February 9th that the Department for International Development in London has agreed to provide the balance of funds necessary for a rehabilitation of Calshot Harbour. Preparatory work will be carried out in two phases and consultants to undertake this work will be appointed shortly. Once the preparatory phases are complete, rehabilitation work can get underway. It is hoped the preparatory work can be completed as soon as possible in 2006 with the aim of a final completion date in 2008. A plan to build a new harbour alongside the 1961 lava flow ( see Harbour Page ) which would have cost an estimated £21 million has not been ruled out, but in the meantime the rehabilitation of the existing harbour is a priority.
Harbour Rehabilitation Programme Pre-construction Phase 1 : March - June 2006 To agree the scale of rehabilitation (essentially increasing harbour depth, improved use of the East Quay and slipway & re-designing and extending breakwaters), hydrographic surveys, inshore wave climate modeling for breakwater stability, survey & risk assessment of existing breakwaters, identifying environmental considerations, preparing requirements for 'design and build' contract bids. Pre-Construction Phase 2 : July -September 2006 To produce contract documents & co-ordinate tendering process; prepare and agree environmental management plan; check designs, evaluate bids & make recommendations. Contract Award and Realisation : October 2006 - August 2008 October 2006 - Project details and funding approved November 2006 - Contractors appointed December 2006 - Construction starts August 2008 - Calshot Harbour rehabilitation complete

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This page first published July 2007