Houlder provided technical support to Volker Stevin during an £18m contract to design and build a new munitions handling facility, recently handed over to the UK Royal Navy at Portsmouth. The facility consists of a 15m by 85m jetty, two mooring dolphins and two small vessel pontoons and will provide docking and loading facilities for RN vessels including Type 45 Destroyers.

Houlder worked closely with Volker Stevin during the procurement of the site’s two ammunition cranes. The company ensured both were compliant with the rigorous MoD Joint Service Protocol (JSP) 467 for the Specification of Power Driven Lifting Appliances used for handling Conventional and Nuclear Armaments. This ensured lifting operations were, above all else, safe and in line with operational military standards. The cranes also had to be suitable for mounting on a fixed structure isolated from shore in a marine environment. The cranes are successfully installed on the jetty.

Houlder engaged with Volker Stevin early in the project’s conception to reflect the long lead time associated with specialist harbour cranes. The company then wrote an enquiry specification to enable crane suppliers to provide accurate and timely responses. Houlder continued to provide technical support throughout the crane procurement and installation process, including review of plans and documentation, development of a safety case for the cranes, compliance documentation to meet MoD requirements. Finally factory and site acceptance tests were attended by Houlder personnel on behalf of Volker Stevin.