Last week the Damen Stan Tug 1205 ‘SWS Essex’ was delivered to the Walsh & Sons Head Office in Brentwood (UK).
Walsh ordered the Stan Tug as part of their strategy to transport more cargo by water than by road. In the near future, the total transport capacity of Walsh’s lorry fleet will be exceeded by tug and barge transport.
Walsh is a recycling and construction company specialized in civil engineering, demolition, disposal of materials, environmental projects and Thames River dredging projects. The company owns a fleet of over 60 lorries to transport materials from the Greater London area to the different Walsh sites. Walsh offers various services, such as soil washing, aggregates recycling and waste transfer. The SWS Essex is the first newbuild tug the company has ever purchased.
River vs road
Since traffic in London has increased dramatically the constraints on efficient logistics are faced daily by all vehicle operators and construction projects alike. For this reason Walsh has been looking at the river Thames to help ease this problem. Until now, the contractor transports over 100,000 mᶟ of material from the DLR Woolich Arsenal tunnel extension via barge to its East Tilbury site. The Stan Tug 1205 will play her part in increasing this volume.
According to Walsh, the expected environmental and financial benefits look promising and a growth in their barge and tug fleet is more than realistic.
[mappress]
Dredging Today Staff, March 21, 2012; Image: Damen