Company

Providing transport and towage to ships and craft using the Thames and Medway rivers  Preserving the environment by transporting sands, aggregates and excavated spoil on waterborne craft throughout the Thames Gateway development area  Ensuring all key employees have served recognised apprenticeships with a watermen and lightermen company, and hold local and national certificates of competence   Operating all vessels within the Port Marine safety code

Company Background

Alan C. Bennett & Sons Ltd was established in 1983 with a single tug and soon obtained towing and attendance contracts in the dredging and marine civil engineering sectors.

In 1985 the firm secured a 3 year contract to move aggregates and remove spoil for the construction of the Limehouse Link in east London during which time it expanded its fleet to 4 tugs and 10 barges.

Foster Yeoman Limited - a quarrying, contracting and logistics company - established an aggregate depot operation at the Isle of Grain in 1986 and appointed Alan C. Bennett as their lighterage contractor, hauling aggregates to their Thames-side wharves at Grays, Essex and Northfleet, Kent. This began an association that saw Foster Yeoman Limited take a 51% interest in the company in 2002 as a means of securing their lines of supply for the CTRL contract and to take advantage of the opportunity to expand their marine logistics interests.

Alan C. Bennett further established itself carrying scrap metal in bulk with EMR (formerly Mayer Parry) at Erith and Tilbury. Other substantial contracts included ship towage at Europort on the river Medway and Purfleet on the Thames as well as assisting M.O.D. vessels berthing in the Port of London. 

The Bennett barge fleet now also moves aggregate for the RMC and Hanson Groups and has contracts with Herfurth Shipping Ltd - cargo agents for LASH - and the Thames Wharfinger Co who are agents for Baco Lines.