Test Tank Development
Shepherd Offshore is constructing one of Europe’s largest offshore testing tanks at Neptune Energy Park in Walker, Newcastle. Located on the North Bank of the Tyne, the Neptune Enterprise Zone is one of the UK’s six CORE (Centre for Offshore Renewable Engineering) sites. The deep-water Test Tank will provide the Subsea Offshore Marine industry with capabilities to test new products and ROVs.
The closure wall and partial infill of the dock involves separation from the drydock. Operating at a length of 56m, width of 38m and up to 12m deep, the Test Tank offers a volume of 25.5363 to the top edge of the tank. Construction of the new quay frontage extends 50m across the existing Engine Works Quay. The design of a new heavy load pad and heavy load routes permit the CC4800 Crawler Crane easy access to the Test Tank for a range of different projects.
The site has already proved essential in the successful construction of the EDF Blyth Offshore Demonstrator test towers and floating gravity bases foundations between 2015 & 2017 with BAM Nuttal Ltd. Benefiting from support from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), once fully operational, it will hopefully become a quay asset to the region.
Neptune Energy Park benefits from a 700 Tonne heavy loadout pad, 1,000m deep water quay, 500,000sq ft warehousing, up to 250T mobile crane capacity and a deep-water berth. This development to the facility will encourage local economic growth and bring new projects to the area. Charles Shepherd Managing Director at Shepherd Offshore says,
“The opportunity to create key strategic infrastructure and capacity to the region for its stakeholders is exciting. The Company has worked on this for a while now and we’re thrilled to get the ball rolling”.
Shepherd Offshore is in the final stages of developing the site and it is to be fully operational by the end of 2020.