The Port of Tilbury London Ltd, located in the Southeast of England on the banks of the River Thames just downstream from the QE2 Bridge, is home to the UK’s largest import and export Grain Terminal. Handling approximately 2 million tonnes of cereals, pulses, and beans annually, the terminal plays a vital role in the country’s agricultural supply chain and the global food market, ensuring the reliable delivery of high-quality materials.
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.
Project Overview
Reconstruct and redevelop Silo 4 to restore the Grain Terminals cereal storage capabilities, meeting operational demands, modern safety regulations and CDM requirements.
Unique Challenges:
- Transition in layout from existing round profile to new square silos (7.3m² cells)
- Incorporation of fifteen dust explosion relief panels on each individual silo top
- Hopper-bottom concrete silo cells for optimized grain flow
- High-capacity slow moving conveying systems capable of a 700/650tph transfer rate, ensuring efficient material handling
- Interface with Silo 3 feed and reclaim system
- Interface with Terminal material in feed and transfer system
- Overhead spacious gantries fabricated to house the 4 x chain distribution conveyors and high railings designed for personnel safety above the silos
- Basement area designed to house 10 x cross feeding conveyors and two long reclaim and transfer conveyors with associated operating gantries
- Use of stairs as opposed to ladders throughout the system design
- Aspiration system to manage displaced air and dust during grain loading, ensuring compliance with ATEX and environmental standards
- Collected dust converted into briquettes at ground level beneath the main filter.
- Coordination with the Grain Terminal's software engineers (TBA) to seamlessly integrate new systems into the existing controls
- Ensuring interoperability with adjacent Steel Silo 3 for material feed and transfer.
- Design, supply and install new suite of MCC’s inside a purpose-built brick switch room with dedicated Silo 4 transformer alongside
- Cable containment throughout the facility future proofed with spare capacity
- Installation of cabling to all items of plant and equipment including operational and emergency lighting
- Connection and integration of individual silo cell radar and high-level monitoring and supporting temperature monitoring system.
- Slip-formed concrete silo block designed and constructed by main contractor
- 30 silos constructed in two phases with 15 cells (5 rows of 3 cells) in each block
- Installation of fabricated steelwork, gantries, platforms, stairs, lifting and runway beams
- Installation of high-capacity distribution, collection and transfer chain conveyors
- Installation of interconnecting chutes, machinery supports and aspiration ducting
- Incorporation of silo top explosion relief panels, plate magnets, main filter unit and briquetting system c/w covered enclosure for safe dust disposal.
- Software route testing and simulation
- Machinery checks, rotations and dry run
- Silo flushing and level checks
- Phased silo filling and wet run
- Operational performance test
- Final commissioning and handover
Key Roles
Skills and Capabilities Demonstrated
Port of Tilbury London Limited
The Grain Terminal
Tilbury
Essex
RM18 7LR
