Frankham were appointed by the Port of London Authority (PLA) to undertake a structural inspection assessment of Denton Wharf inner quay in Gravesend.

Denton Wharf is the operational base for PLA’s fleet, it provides areas for storage and maintenance of equipment for both PLA and third parties. It is also the centre of PLA’s diving and salvage services. Its maintenance in good conditions is in line with PLA’s aspiration to maintain operations, whilst ensuring that the risk of damage to the structure is kept at a minimum.

The inner quay is approximately 130m long at the berthing line and is composed of steel sheet piles and concrete capping beams.

Frankham were commissioned to undertake a tactile inspection of the sheet piles at low and high tide to identify whether the structure is affected by accelerated low water corrosion.

Frankham carried out the inspection on board of a vessel at high tide. At low tide, Frankham’s engineers carried the inspection on board of a man rider and ultrasonic thickness measurements were obtained throughout the structure.

The services provided by Frankham on this project included the preparation of:

• A desktop review
• Tactile and visual inspection of the structure using PLA’s vessel and man rider
• Ultrasonic thickness measurements to sheet piles.
• Allocated severity of defects of the inspected structures
• Condition report and defect sketches

Client:
Port of London Authority

Services:
Civil Engineering
Maritime Engineering