Sykes Pumps assist with Scotland’s largest infrastructure project for a generation

With the Queensferry Crossing set to be open for use in 2016, there is great pressure on contractors involved in the project to have it completed on schedule. The development is expected to cost the Scottish Government around £1.4 billion once finished, with the primary purpose of reducing traffic flow on the adjacent Forth Bridge.

A series of pumps were, therefore, required to help ballast a barge by driving water in and out of various compartments. This process is essential for keeping the boat stable while engineered components are transported onto it.

Sections are being loaded on two at a time, and with 122 separate modules of deck in total, it has been predicted that our equipment will be needed for approximately 12 months. Sykes Pumps worked closely with the customer to collate a large hire package initially consisting of 25 x GP150M units, with a view to adding another 15 as the scheme progresses.

We sent a team of four regional technicians to the site in Edinburgh to oversee the installation, and this was carried out in the presence of a specialist ballast engineer. Having worked on numerous float-outs in recent years, the client was aware of our expertise in this particular field and was confident we could deliver an appropriate solution at the first time of asking.

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