EIC completes ‘lifesaving’ coastal project
EIC has completed the mechanical and electrical fit out for a new lifeboat station in Shoreham, West Sussex. The striking new build facility has been designed by Royal Haskoning and built by Dean and Dyball.
The station houses the RNLI Tamar class boat, the service’s latest and most sophisticated rescue vessel. The harbourside facility has now become fully operational.
EIC, which has specialist experience in coastal projects, was appointed to undertake the 21-week M&E contract for the RNLI. With so much water involved in the everyday running of the station, the facility was designed to collect and use rainwater rather than drawing on fresh supplies for cleaning the lifeboats. As part of the project, therefore, the engineering team installed a rainwater tank and covered all associated pipework in AluZinc to protect against the elements and the spray from washing down the boats.
Wet and dry areas are separated within the station, with waterproof seals used in those more likely to become wet, in order to protect the electrical systems. Equally important is the maintenance of a dry atmosphere in the boat hall, home to the Tamar offshore vessel and the smaller inshore lifeboat, to prevent degradation of the equipment, requiring high impact PVC and GRP containment. Additional works implemented by EIC included the installation of winches, cranes, fuel dispensing equipment, and a technical communications system, provided by EIC’s data comms specialists.
Darren Parrish, EIC South regional director, said: “The new lifeboat station will become a landmark building at Shoreham Harbour and we are delighted to have been involved with such an important scheme.
“It was a particularly interesting project which, due to the nature of the service and the building’s location, required a number of specialist technical solutions. Bringing together a team with the local knowledge and experience of dealing with the elements, after many years of working on the South coast, we were able to offer practical solutions and provide a first class installation. We look forward to the official launch of the station in May 2011.”
Spokesman for the Shoreham Lifeboat Station, Dave Cassan, added: “We went fully operational in December and the facilities are fantastic. The speed and efficiency of our response time has increased thanks to the new systems which have been installed, dramatically reducing the time it takes us to get out onto the water and do our job.”