Victoria Deep Water Terminal, known colloquially as ‘Vic Deep’, is an industrial wharf on the River Thames located on the Greenwich peninsula. The construction materials supplier, Heidelberg Materials, invested £12 million to upgrade the site with a development to house their aggregates.
However, the 1960s-built sheet pile wall had experienced multiple failures during its service life, and the Environment Agency required its remaining design life be extended by 50 years to allow the landside works to go ahead.
Since 2018, Beckett Rankine has undertaken assessments, produced designs and design reviews, and supervised the quay strengthening construction works.
Beckett Rankine and A-Squared Maritime thoroughly investigated Vic Deep’s quay wall with multiple land and dive surveys, including a high-resolution multibeam survey.
While most of the walls were in good condition, the assessment found at least six different construction types used and some areas of concern. One section was no longer stable and so we determined it to have a residual life of less than 50 years, in part due to damaged ground anchors.
We conducted a feasibility study and then designed the strengthening works with A-Squared, which included a load-relieving reinforced concrete slab with raker piles, replacement pile fenders, and repairs to the capping beam.
We then supported the client with the tender documentation.
The contract was awarded to Southbay Civil Engineering Ltd. Additional design work focusing on value engineering for the load-relieving slab and its supporting piles was carried out by Tony Gee Consulting Partners on their behalf, which Beckett Rankine validated with a Category 3 Design Check.
Tony Gee’s final design encompassed a load-relieving reinforced concrete slab supported by new steel piles and the existing sheet pile wall. The new relieving slab is laterally restrained by ground anchors that are installed along its landside edge. The design of the new fender pile system and capping beam repairs remained as per Beckett Rankine’s original design.
We also supported the client with the planning and consents and specified the construction work packages.
In January 2026, Southbay began the construction works at Vic Deep under Beckett Rankine’s supervision.
Temporary stabilisation measures in the form of temporary ground anchors were put in place while a load-relieving slab and supporting piles were installed.
As of autumn 2026, the capping beam repairs were completed with the new fenders next to be installed.
