Following the acquisition of SGT by Frontier from Soufflet in 2021, the new owners moved quickly to invest in the future of the Eastern Docks Grain Terminal with a planned upgrade & modernisation of the facilities grain storage infrastructure & quayside rail mounted ship loader.

Acting as a southern UK hub, the Terminal, which is a major exporter of grains onto the world markets, can be found at deep water berth 36 within the ABP owned Port of Southampton.

It was originally built in the early 1980’s across two separate phases of civil engineering construction, by French & English contractors respectively with the second phase also including a 1000tph ship loading system.

Both concrete silo blocks incorporate a nest of hopper bottom silos constructed with the use of slip form civil engineering technology in achieving the resulting 30,000tonnes of total storage capacity.

In 1983 when fully complete & operational the Grain Terminal was officially opened by H.R.H Princess Anne who acting as President of Save the Children Fund, her welcomed presence highlighted the part played at the Port of Southampton in the export of grain to developing countries across the globe.

Modernisation

T H WHITE Projects were awarded the contract to act as the Principal Contractor covering the scope of works associated with the design, supply, installation & commissioning of the mechanical & electrical equipment involved in the upgrade of the Frontier Southampton Grain Terminal.

Following a thorough inspection, assessment & review of the facility, which was now some 40 years old, a scoping document & schedule of work was generated to address the necessary areas of repair, replacement & modernisation to upgrade the terminal in compliance with the latest engineering & operational design standards.

Handling Equipment Overview:

Phase 1

• 2 x 250tph road intake & elevating to silo top distribution
• 2 x 500tph silo reclaim
• 1 x 1000tph silo elevating
• 1 x 1000tph weigh bulk scale

Phase 2

• 2 x 300tph road intake & elevating to silo top distribution
• 2 x 300tph silo reclaim
• 1 x 600tph silo block conveying & transfer route
• 1 x Quayside shuttle belt conveyor
• 1 x 1000tph travelling ship loader & trimmer

Silo Block 1 & 2.

• Silo 1: Replacement of the over silo open belt conveyors & tripper distribution carriage with two new totally enclosed ATEX rated 800mm wide chain conveyors, electro pneumatic slides, connecting inlet/outlet chutes & machinery support/access platform.
• Silo 1: Elevator outlet 6-way multi-distribution valve replaced
• Silo 1: Replacement of the two under silo reclaim open belt conveyors with two further heavy duty totally enclosed ATEX rated 800mm wide chain conveyors with inlet flow control boxes to regulate the flow & allow blending when required.
• Silo 1: Main control room – The old relay logic push button control panel & mimic was replaced with a modern-day PLC & SCADA control system with large viewing monitors configured with all the routes & operating phases.
• Silo 1& 2: The system is also integrated into a new dust collection & briquetting arrangement whereby the dust & screenings are transferred from around the silo block intake & storage facility into a collecting filter before being discharged via a rotary valve into a briquette producing machine. One system per silo block installed & operational.
• Silo 2: Basement building room created to house a bank of new MCC’s allied to that half of the facility
• Silo 2: All new containment & cabling to drives & field devices with ATEX rated switches & sensors fitted where applicable.

Ship Loader: History

The ship loader has an interesting background & is worthy of adding into this document as a testimony to all parties involved throughout the years.

• Started life in 1946 as a Stothert & Pitt crane
• Originally used for the lifting of fruit crates from vessels within the Port.
• Modified by Redler in the early 1980’s as one of several which were procured & changed from ordinary quayside operating cranes into being 1000tph rail mounted travelling ship loaders.
• A large high-capacity belt & bucket elevator was fitted to the lower part of the crane whilst the top section was removed with the jib being replaced with a new counter weighted boom f/w a chain conveyor, telescopic feed chute & ship thrower/trimmer.
• In the South of the UK there was one to be found at the Cardiff Grain Terminal & two in Southampton.
• The two on the Solent found one installed at SGT and the other across the dock at the Continental Grain Export Terminal which was a steel silo grain storage facility.
• Both the Cardiff & Continental sites have long been demolished.
• The ship loader at Fronter’s SGT site is the last one remaining in operation on the deep-water berth.

 Ship Loader: Upgrade

• Telescopic chute/counterweight removed/boom lowered to ground
• Structure & boom shotblast, structural repairs & marine finish painted
• Elevator/Conveyor & telescopic chute/thrower refurbished
• Ship loader reassembled & connected
• Completely rewired, new containment/cabling
• New operators control cabin, MCC & PLC

Investment Benefits

• Operational process visibility
• Operational data acquisition
• Improved system reliability
• Improved environmental conditions
• ATEX compliance
• Reduced downtime
• Site longevity

Preventative Maintenance

• Condition monitoring schedule
• Plant & equipment focus
• Health service checks
• Planned maintenance
• Reduced downtime
• Improved visibility

The post Southampton Grain Terminal Upgrade Reaping The Benefits appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

Originally constructed in the 1960s, the facility faced a major setback in July 2020 when a catastrophic dust explosion and fire severely damaged Silo 4. In response, the damaged silo was demolished to make way for a state-of-the-art rebuild adhering to modern safety standards, including ATEX compliance. The reconstruction project will include 30 hopper-bottomed concrete silos arranged in three rows of ten 7-metre-square cells, built using slip form technology. The work will proceed in phases, with 15 silos constructed in each phase.

This ambitious redevelopment marks the first construction of replacement concrete grain silos in a UK port since the early 1980s and represents a significant milestone for the Port of Tilbury. Following a competitive tendering process, the contract was awarded to P J Carey of Wembley, Middlesex, with T H WHITE Projects appointed as the Mechanical and Electrical sub-contractor. T H WHITE’s involvement spans early-stage consultancy to the delivery of a cutting-edge Silo 4 facility, combining advanced safety features, operational efficiency, and modern automation technologies. This project establishes a new benchmark for grain storage infrastructure in the UK.

The post Construction Of The First Concrete Grain Silo Complex In The UK For Over 40 Years After Significant Dust Explosion: Port of Tilbury Phase 3 appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

(Extension of Silo 3 Contract)

Customer Overview
The Port of Tilbury London Ltd is based in the Southeast of England and located on the banks of the River Thames just down from the QE2 bridge.  Within the Port is the UK’s largest import and export Grain Terminal which is reported to handle approximately 2 million tonnes of cereals, pulses & beans per annum.  The facility was initially constructed in the 1960s and plays a significant role throughout the global market in ensuring the food chain is reliably supported & supplied with on time quality materials.

Project Overview
The dust explosion within the Grain Terminal’s Concrete Silo No 4 brought with it the added problem that even with the steel Silo No. 3 complex fully erected and operational, the actual means of feeding & reclaiming grains from the new storage would not be possible.  To make matters worse the belt conveying gallery around the concrete silos which feeds the mills of ADM & Allied plus the adjacent large 16,000 tonne bulk store had also been badly damaged and would be demolished entirely once the explosion damaged facility was removed.

To remedy the situation T H WHITE Projects engineered a solution in conjunction with the client for a new conveying and elevating system which would link the Grain Terminal Centre House to the steel silos, mill feed gallery and bulk store.  As Phase 2 of the overall project, the transfer reclaim system would be designed and installed in tandem with the Silo 3 Contract whilst also within a very tight footprint allowing the reconstruction of the concrete grain Silo No4 alongside.

The post High Capacity Grain Handling Transfer Reclaim System – Port of Tilbury Phase 2 appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

Customer Overview
The Port of Tilbury London Ltd is based in the Southeast of England & located on the banks of the River Thames just down from the QE2 bridge.  Within the Port is the UK’s largest import and export Grain Terminal which is reported to handle approximately 2 million tonnes of cereals, pulses & beans per annum.  The facility was initially constructed in the 1960s and plays a significant role throughout the global market in ensuring the food chain is reliably supported and supplied with on time quality materials.

Project Overview
Following the steel silo collapse in September 2018 and subsequent dust explosion and fire within the concrete silos in July 2020, phase one of the Terminal works, covering the rebuilding of the corrugated grain storage facility progressed.  For site safety reasons whilst the adjacent concrete silo was being demolished under controlled conditions following the explosion, the CDM boundary and moving exclusion zone was established to allow the civil works and erection of the new silos to proceed.

The contract build programme with an end completion date of harvest 2022 was targeted for the filling of the new silos.

The post Reinstatement of 20,000 tonne Steel Grain Silo Facility – Port of Tilbury Phase 1 appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

CUSTOMER OVERVIEW
Industry household names have joined forces to form a strategic partnership with the creation of Navara Oat Milling Limited to construction Europe’s largest Oat Mill.  Market leaders Frontier Agriculture and Camgrain have combined in the formation of a joint venture between the organisations.  The UK construction of Europe’s largest Oat Processing facility reflects the Navara wording that “British Oats Are Our Passion”.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
The oat processing plant has been constructed on land alongside the Camgrain Advanced Processing Centre in a key arable region between Corby & Kettering.  It heralds excellent transport links just off the busy east west A14 corridor and is currently discreetly located and hidden by existing topography and vegetation which will be further enhanced by the additional planting of 6,500 new trees & shrubs.  Now fully operational the cutting-edge oat processing facility is poised to meet and even accelerate the already growing demand for oat ingredients associated with healthy products in the food & drink industrial sectors.

The post Largest Oat Mill in Europe Now Fully Operational appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

CUSTOMER OVERVIEW

Condimentum was created by the English mustard growers and Norfolk mint growers who had previously supplied Colman’s of Norwich prior to the closure of the City’s iconic and long-established 165-year-old factory.  In collaboration with Unilever who now own the Colman’s brand, the Condimentum purpose-built facility, required to produce double super fine mustard and mint product was developed.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The new partnership with the local growers consortium Condimentum, has maintained this historic connection through the construction of a new green field site milling and mint processing plant at the Food Enterprise Park, Easton on the outskirts of the City of Norwich.

The post Mustard and Mint Processing Facility – Historic Norfolk Link appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

The 25,000 tonne Alexandra Silo complex, developed in conjunction with the client, represents a £3.8 million investment for Associated British Ports. It’s a ‘state of the art’ facility designed to answer to the need for a dockside facility capable of receiving “as grown” crops to be dried, processed, stored and then out loaded to either the sea or the road.

The post Grain Export Terminal, Alexandra Dock appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

This £1.75 million facility has the capacity to process 20,000 tonnes of seed per annum, with peak processing capacity of over 500 tonnes of seed per day, ensuring fast turnaround.

The post Openfield Seed Processing Plant appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

The first phase of new plant development followed in 1997 and various phases have followed. The facility now provides a 101,000 tonne capacity to 152 members. In recent years, European grant-funding was obtained, allowing for the phased design approach to be completed and future-proofed to support their steadily growing membership and, of course, the recent increase in supply demand.

Throughout the various phases, T H WHITE Projects conceptualised the designs, planned and implemented the build, whilst also acting as the principal contractor through the various commissioning and customer hand-over stages.

The post Wiltshire Grain’s future-proofed plant appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.

With the new design and layout agreed and planning approved, the development proceeded with two parallel sets of building structures. The main one was the new grain store solution, capable of holding 3,000 tonnes of combinable crops within four 750-tonne bunkers.

The 60m x 25m structure has a central dividing wall, with two bunkers on either side. It has the ability to dry the grain via two sets of hardwood floors, fed by central air ducts and a pair of fan housings to the rear of the building.

The juniper green clad grain store is one of several new farm machinery and operating buildings, constructed as part of the project, with the grain store being complemented by an independent control room/office and weighbridge.

The post Forest of Bere Estate – Completed for Harvest appeared first on T H WHITE Projects.