Construction at DP World’s highly acclaimed London Gateway – the UK’s first 21st Century major deep-sea container port and Europe’s largest logistics park – is now well underway and Cargotec, specialist assemblers of the contract’s cranes and logistics for unloading the large cargo vessels at the port, has developed a special village of modular buildings for its workforce courtesy of Portable Offices.
Situated on the north bank of the River Thames, London Gateway’s £2 billion development aims to provide the most efficient port in the country to help meet demand for extra capacity in the UK.
In addition to a major deep sea port, London Gateway will integrate with Europe’s largest logistics park and will offer individual units up to and in excess of one million square feet. Hundreds of operatives are working at the site, with dredging and new land creation taking place alongside the development of key infrastructure.
Cargotec improves the efficiency of global cargo flows and has around 150 mechanical engineers and construction workers on site commissioning over 90 cranes and associated machinery at the port development. Facilities for these operatives are of paramount importance. As a result, Cargotec has established a series of offices, induction rooms, canteens, drying rooms and toilet and changing facilities on the site.
Portable Offices’ Luton depot worked in tandem with Cargotec to construct a series of 20 modular buildings to accommodate the workers’ needs.
A comfortable range of buildings resulted which provide a warm area for respite from the cold and wet conditions on site within which workers can relax and undertake essential administration tasks away from inclement outdoor conditions.
Although the early phases of the port aim to be completed in 2013, Cargotec’s phase is expected to be underway for between eight and nine years and so the durability of the modular buildings was of paramount importance.
Mark Cowen, Purchasing Manager of Cargotec, commented on his reasons for appointing Portable Offices: “Once complete, London Gateway will create 12,000 direct jobs and over 20,000 indirect jobs. It will enable the world’s largest container ships to call at the heart of the UK’s economic and population centre. The port’s highly efficient road, rail and sea links will offer a quicker, cheaper and more environmentally-friendly way to transport goods to their destination and our workers will play a major role in ensuring the smooth-flow of cargo for our client. As a result, we place great emphasis on their health and welfare throughout the construction commissioning process. Modular buildings were the ideal solution for our needs.
“The team at Portable Offices were very flexible and capable. They understood the pressures of our business and took on all the logistics involved in establishing what is essentially, the development of an entire village in its own right on the Gateway site.
“This is a massive undertaking and not one to be taken lightly. They responded to the challenges of the site with great professionalism. I was very pleased with the outcome.”
Manager of Portable Offices’ Luton, Neil Christie, commented:
“It was a challenging contract mainly because of the site conditions but then every job has its logistical difficulties. We are accustomed to working under pressures, whether these are site related or logistical. The beauty of modular buildings is that they are a fast and effective accommodation solution that can be fitted into all sorts of places. We have become experts in modular logistics and will go to great lengths to make a contract a success. It was great to be a part of such a prestigious development.”
The Portable Offices team is on hand to service companies’ and organisations’ accommodation needs and aims to provide a speedy, professional, cost-effective, turnkey service.