Docks, Ports & Harbours

Dock Gate Refurbishment

Sykes was involved in a huge project to repair and refurbish harbour gates in Southwest England. The outer gates dated from 1947 and had been neglected. When a gate failed, repairs were an emergency. This was a high-risk project, not least because the area has a huge tidal range. Sykes electric submersible pumps removed water and silt from the gates before they were moved to dry dock. When it was time to return them, large capacity pumps on the harbour wall and barges gradually filled the gates with clean water, while Sweepax hydraulic submersible pumps cleared the steps on the harbour floor. This complex project could not have been successfully achieved without Sykes Pumps.

Shipbuilding – Dry Docks

Two Royal Navy vessels were being constructed in five individual sections. These were then taken on barges to a unique floating dry dock for assembly. For Sykes Pumps, this was basically a load-out job. The pumps used were GP150M units: designed for arduous applications, they incorporate a unique vacuum system and deliver maximum reliability.

SS Great Britain

When Brunel’s SS Great Britain received funding to upgrade its visitor attractions, which included internal renovation and a unique ‘exposer’ of a keel in the dock for visitor access, this included pumping the dock dry and the inclusion of a glass ceiling to mimic the surface of the sea. Sykes supplied the pumps to the sub contractors and groundworkers involved.

Shipbuilding – Oil Rigs

Sykes supplied a complete pumping package for a major project at a shipbuilding yard in South Korea. Two large oil rigs were being built and the project needed large volumes of seawater: our job was to win water from the sea and provide a temporary supply to the rigs, enabling the commissioning of cooling systems (turbine, generators and heating). A Sykes team commissioned all equipment onsite: an Orion 8x6 90c, 150/150 Weir, two PX30 submersible pumps, filtration system, chemical dosing pump, control equipment, purpose-built distribution manifold, high pressure hoses and ancillary equipment. Sykes was the only supplier able to provide this specialist equipment and personnel in Korea.