Dudleys Consulting Engineers has completed works on a new service yard project at Cavendish Quay in Birkenhead for Peel Ports and occupier NW Trading.

Cavendish Quay is situated at The Port of Liverpool, an enclosed 7.5-mile dock system with a deep-rooted history. It is the UK’s fourth busiest container port, handling around 30 million tonnes of freight per annum. It is the most important port in the UK for transatlantic trade with significant links to North America and Europe and is also home to the largest cruise terminals in the UK.

Working alongside principal contractor Kiernan Construction, Dudleys has advised on the £1.3 million redevelopment of a 77,500 sq ft area of former dock transport lines to deliver an extensive new service yard to support expansion of the quayside operations.


The project presented considerable engineering challenges due to inconsistent ground and ingress of water in isolated areas.

Andy Walker, Managing Director at Dudleys Consulting Engineers, said: "We were delighted to provide our professional services to Peel Ports and NW Trading on the expansion of its operations at Cavendish Quay. This was a challenging project but certainly not beyond our expertise.

"This large area of deep made ground adjacent the dock wall had softened over time due to water ingress leaving very poor ground conditions. We advised a method of improving the ground bearing capacity through the use of combined geogrids, land drainage and controlled methods of placement. This has delivered a crust of ground capable of withstanding heavy dockside transport and storage loading combined with the restrictions of site levels and end user working tolerances.

"Provision of an extensive surface water drainage system was also incorporated to withstand climate change challenges on the site and manage any flooding of the existing drainage system. During the works, the port and quayside remained operational with minimal disruptions.

"We pride ourselves on working as an integral partner with the client and entire contracting team, delivering strategic, value engineered solutions from the outset and we are particularly proud of this project."