New tug and crane for Broads Authority
The Broads Authority has bought a 38ft steel Thames tug to pull the cranes used for dredging around the Broads.
The Cannonbrook, which is over 50 years old, was bought from the Environment Agency. It was carried by low loader from the Thames to Lake Lothing and by river to the Broads Authority’s dockyard at Thorpe.
“She’s beautiful,” said Director of Waterways Trudi Wakelin. “She’s got a good Gardner engine and was a real bargain. We are delighted with her. She has gone into active service immediately, with the aim of refitting her during the summer.”
Meanwhile, one of the Authority’s old dredging grabs, which helped build the Channel Tunnel, has been dredging Malthouse Broad as one of her last jobs before she was retired.
The NCK C34 Pennine crane, built in 1976, was pictured on the front page of Construction News with Prince Charles at her controls.
May Gurney purchased her from Kier Construction in 2000 for £10,000 and she was transferred to the Broads Authority fleet when the dockyard was acquired in 2008. The crane has been dredging the river and broads for the last nine years.
She removed two sunken vessels near Whitlingham before being pushed by the Cannonbrook to the Griffin Lane Dockyard where her parts are being recycled.
The Authority has recently purchased another crane, a Smith C30 built in 1984 but with only 5,000 working hours on the clock, which, in crane terms, equates to about a year’s work.
“These old cranes are ideally suited to dredging the rivers and broads” said Rob Rogers, Head of Construction and Facilities. “They are fuel efficient, dredge a smooth river profile and cope well with the high demands we put upon them. I am pleased that we have been able to strengthen the Broads Authority’s operational fleet this year and I’m looking forward to next year’s dredging programme.”
19/01/10
