RNLI required a new pontoon and access bridge for their lifeboat in Weymouth Harbour. The new berth was to be dedicated to the accommodation of the Severn Class Lifeboat. With a displacement of 41 tonnes, it is the largest vessel in the RNLI fleet. A direct shore link was required with walk-ashore access to the lifeboat station.

Beckett Rankine advised the contractor on the design of the pontoon berths, pile arrangements, and the canting walkway linking the berth to the shore. In addition, design calculations and reviews were carried out for the pontoons, bridge and piles.

Weymouth Harbour has dominated the town since the 13th Century. Cross -channel ferries berth close to the harbour entrance, while yachts and leisure craft pack upstream waters in the picturesque Georgian “Old Harbour”. Upgrading the lifeboat berth was part of wider improvements to the harbour.