Beckett Rankine’s first UK regional office has reached a milestone this week as it celebrates five years in operation. 

The Bristol office, based in the city centre’s Broad Quay House, opened doors in early 2020 and now employs eight engineers under the leadership of Director, James Smith.  

Whilst the Bristol team’s expertise is applied to global and UK-wide projects, the regional location places Beckett Rankine in greater proximity to serve the South West and Wales’ maritime needs and partner with local businesses and organisations.  

In 2021, Beckett Rankine assisted the Grade II listed Charlestown Harbour, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in St Austell, Cornwall, with the collapse of the outer harbour wall following a severe storm. The team are currently working on the replacement lock gate for the harbour. 

The team were also commissioned as part of a consortium to lead a sustainable marine transport proposal study for the Saltash Town Waterside and River Links Connectivity Project. 

Stronger links have been made in Bristol itself too, with the commencement of a new project for Bristol Port and as lead of the Bristol Western Harbour Masterplan project.  

Additionally, the Bristol team have hosted five students completing summer or academic placements. Three of these transitioned to engineers under Beckett Rankine’s ICE-accredited Graduate Maritime Engineering scheme, with two recently promoted to Assistant Engineers.  

With a talented team now encompassing 25% of Beckett Rankine’s workforce, you’d be forgiven for thinking it had been smooth sailing. But the journey hasn’t been free of its challenges. 

Bristol launched as a one-man office of James Smith, then a Principal engineer, who established a base from which to expand with new hires. 

Just six weeks later, the Covid-19 pandemic led to nationwide lockdowns that closed doors and paused projects indefinitely.  

“To say it was a challenge would be an understatement,” James reflects, “Though I wouldn’t recommend those conditions for launching a new office, we definitely learnt valuable lessons that we carry with us today.” 

“Our small-but-mighty team leads on international port developments alongside UK-wide maritime infrastructure, supported by the other Beckett Rankine offices. We’ve achieved a lot in five years and I’m excited to see where the next five will take us.” 

Beckett Rankine’s Bristol branch can be found at Broad Quay House, Bristol BS1 4DJ. Get in touch at bristol@beckettrankine.com or call 0117 374 5515.