Restoration of Historic Docklands Jetty

Wijma has supplied over 110m3 of FSC certified hardwood and softwood to the half a million pound project to repair the Lead-in-Jetty at West India Dock, at the River Thames entrance to the West India Ship Lock, London Docklands.

The historic timber jetty located on the River Thames and the entrance to the West India Ship Lock serves multiple purposes; guiding ships and barges into West India Lock from the river, protecting the dock walls and absorbing the impact from vessels.

Wijma supplied the specialist marine contractors with FSC certified Ekki and Douglas Fir in 75 x 225mm, 150 x 300 and 300 x 300mm in lengths up to 10.00m for the replacement and repairs, which were then installed using a spider crane enabling access inside the structure. The jetty was last repaired over 25 years ago, with the latest refurbishment work expected to extend the life of the structure for another quarter of a century.

West India Docks were built in 1802 to accommodate large commercial sailing ships and for nearly 200 years, ships unloaded sugar, rum, and coffee from the Caribbean. This was then stored in warehouses, transferred on to barges and delivered all over the country via the canal system. The design of the docks also allowed ships to unload in the Northern Dock, and then sail to the Southern Dock to load export cargo quicker than it had previously taken in the heavily congested upper stretch of the Thames.