A Dutch-based global engineering company has been awarded the contract to provide planning consultancy for the £73m Hull cruise terminal project. Royal Haskoning DHV will steer the planning and environmental issues surrounding the project on behalf of Hull City Council being part of detailed work to acquire necessary formal approvals for the project.
The firm’s appointment by the council after a tendering process marks the next achievement in the scheme earmarked for waterfront land near The Deep. With its headquarters in the Netherlands, Royal Haskoning has also spread to South Africa, the UK and Indonesia. Within its maritime division, the firm’s recent schemes have included a new port terminal complex at the north end of the Suez Canal in Egypt where they offered consultancy management services and designing concept for the new island off the Danish coast, the base for distributing energy from the wind turbines.
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Electricity sub-station for the visiting cruise ships
The £182,000 tender will comprise requirements to design electricity sub-station which will allow visiting cruise ships to turn off their engines while at the port, instead of relying on a shore-based power supply. The consultancy is also anticipated to produce a raft of detailed reports on issues ranging from transport connections and access to the site proposed to water quality and the effect on sediment in the Humber. Issues about potential noise and vibration which were aired by bosses at The Deep will also be inspected.
City council leader Daren Hale stated: “Hull requires a dedicated cruise solution in the centre of the Old Town so that we can salute cruise passengers with a five-star welcome and an immediate experience of Hull in addition to the area’s world class visitor destinations. There are also plans to construct a new visitor centre in the neighborhood showcasing Tudor fortress archaeological remains which once stood on River Hull ‘s east bank. The council has already spent £1.1m on the Hull cruise terminal facility after initially dedicating £9.2m worth of funding towards it in 2015.
