A £200,000 project to dredge Sharpness Dock and keep it open for business has revealed some unusual finds, as the port welcomes its largest ship in decades.
The project has seen an estimated 10,000 tonnes of silt removed from the dock using a process called ‘cutter suction’ dredging. It’s also uncovered some unexpected items believed to have been dumped there, including various car parts, steel ropes and a washing machine.
Nick Worthington, waterway manager at the Canal & River Trust , said: “ It’s the first time we’ve used this kind of dredging technique at Sharpness, and we’re really pleased with how well it’s worked. That said, we are finding lots of things in the dock that shouldn’t be there, everything from car parts to someone’s old washing machine, which obviously isn’t great for the port or the wildlife around it. ”
The work takes place as Sharpness Port welcomes the 128-meter long mega ship Rusich 7 from St Petersburg, as it arrives to collect a new gas metering system, produced in Gloucestershire before heading off to Azerbaijan.
[mappress mapid=”20995″]