Client: Isle of Wight Council
Project: Reinstatement of Navigational Markers on Groynes
Contractor: MMC Diving Services
Duration: 1 week
Date posted: 24-05-2025
MMC Civils team were selected to carry out the reinstatement works of the navigational markers on the groynes at Sandown and Shanklin Bay on the Isle of Wight.
Groynes play a critical role in coastal protection and sediment management, helping to stabilise beaches and reduce erosion along the rapidly changing coastline. These particular groynes, originally installed in the late 19th to early 20th century, had not seen any significant maintenance since World War II. Over time, the scheduled upkeep had been neglected, resulting in ten navigational markers falling over, some becoming partially buried in sediment, and many beacons either severely damaged or completely missing.
To restore these vital structures, MMC Civils team fabricated and erected new groynes using historic ball nose steam railway track sourced from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. The material was meticulously cut, burnt, and welded to form the new supports. Alongside this, the team also fabricated, galvanised, and painted new navigational beacons, restoring them to their original bright red for navigational visibility.
The project was made more complex by the constraints of tidal access, with work only possible during extreme low water windows, placing additional pressure on the schedule and requiring precise coordination.
MMC Civils' work has restored a key part of the Isle of Wight's coastal infrastructure, enhancing both maritime safety and coastal defence in the area.
