St Katharine Docks in the UK has commenced a raft of refurbishments and improvements to the three docks that make up the 160-berth marina in Central London.

Scheduled for completion by the end of autumn 2013, the improvements in Central Basin, East Dock and West Dock will enhance berth holder and visitor security, improve dockside services and make the site more environmentally responsible.

“It is good to see these much-needed refurbishments underway,” says marina director William Bowman. “The end result will be a safer, cleaner and more service-orientated marina for all.

“The marina is at the heart of St Katharine Docks’ bustling 25-acre estate that is home to boats, residents, businesses and retail operations,” he adds. “We also welcome hundreds of thousands of tourists and Londoners throughout the year.”

Improvements include a central, unisex shower and laundry block adjacent to the existing marina office. The new facilities will feature modern, eco-friendly installations and equipment and should result in more efficient fuel and water consumption.

Enhanced berthing options on improved Walcon pontooning will be created once the old floating facilities have been removed. Other pontoons are also being replaced as part of an ongoing maintenance plan.

To bring the marina in line with environmentally sound initiatives, improvements are also being made to the pump-out facilities offered. “We encourage a No Discharge policy so need to offer as much assistance to our boat owners as possible,” says Bowman. “We are introducing a mobile pump-out service to boost the facilities offered by the existing static unit in the West Dock.”

The electrically operated vehicle has a 500 litre capacity tank that will pump-out holding tanks and safely release black water into the sewage system.

The existing self-service token-operated pump-out unit situated in the West Dock will also be upgraded and operated by the marina team, and a mobile collection service for re-cycling of oil and batteries is also being introduced.

Enhanced security will be the second phase of the refurbishment plan. New gates featuring CCTV units will be fitted to individual pontoon gangways around Central Basin and images will be monitored 24/7 at the estate’s on-site control centre. Berth-holders will access pontoons using personalised proximity tags rather than the traditional numerical keypads.

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