ABP Port of Southampton

Berry Systems successfully installed vehicle restraint systems for Morgan Sindall, on behalf of Associated British Ports, at their Southampton facility. Our work included implementing the Bri-Safe wire rope solution, which was securely attached to the structural columns of the car park to create a customized system.

The Port of Southampton, one of the UK’s premier vehicle handling ports, processed over 650,000 automotive vehicles in 2012, primarily UK-manufactured cars destined for export.

To manage this significant traffic efficiently, Associated British Ports developed over 80 hectares of dedicated vehicle storage and distribution facilities, featuring four multi-deck vehicle terminals.

For perimeter protection across all multi-decks, Morgan Sindall chose Berry Systems’ wire rope solution. The latest multi-deck, constructed of a steel frame with concrete slab decks, is the second at Southampton to be equipped with our barriers.

The Bri-Safe system includes three tensioned wire ropes running through a mesh panel, providing integrated anti-climb features and a pedestrian handrail.

Given the specific usage requirements at Southampton—where public or pedestrian access is not a concern—anti-climb mesh and handrails were deemed unnecessary.

Instead, we developed a tailored system combining five and six wire configurations, with four low-level wires positioned at typical vehicle impact heights to accommodate various vehicle sizes.

Higher wires, set at a minimum height of 1100mm, offer additional personnel protection. All wires were coated with bright yellow plastic for enhanced visibility.

The design includes anchoring cables to structural columns and tensioning them for optimal impact resistance, while maintaining flexibility to reduce impact damage and maximizing storage space on the parking deck.

Additional protection was provided by installing Berry Corner Fenders on the exposed edges of the steel columns.

These EPDM synthetic rubber fenders, equipped with high-visibility yellow strips, offer visual hazard warnings from any direction.