Mammoet delivers TBM
09 January 2018
Heavy lift and transport specialist Mammoet has announced the successful delivery of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) to the Thames Tideway Tunnel project in central London, United Kingdom.
The TBM was transported a distance of 850 km, from Germany across the North Sea via Mammoet’s European Headquarters in Schiedam, The Netherlands. The final stage of the journey in central London utilised a flat-top barge, which sailed up the River Thames to Fulham.
“Minimising disturbance at every step; that’s been the aim of this project,” said Matthew Gent, managing director for Mammoet in the UK. “Using the River Thames to bring in the machinery was the most efficient solution. The Mammoet engineering team worked closely with the TBM’s manufacturer, Herrenknecht AG, and Tideway’s project managers on site to ensure that the machine was delivered on time with the minimum impact on the local area.
“We were able to offer a heavy lifting and transport solution, as well as the expert engineering team to complete the manoeuvre. We provided the flat top barge for marine transport and on-shore self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT). Our 1200 and 750-tonne crane systems will also be used to reassemble the machinery on-site ready for tunnelling to commence.”
Once fully assembled, the TBM will weigh 1,350 tonnes. It will be used to dig a tunnel to capture the overflow from London’s ageing Victorian sewer system. Tunnelling will start in 2018.
