A MacGREGOR floating pontoon terminal structure will solve the problem of steep passenger-gangways in different tidal heights on a Swedish skerry

A floating terminal designed to meet the requirements of foot passengers, disabled people and provisions will be supplied by MacGREGOR for service at Styrs¶ Bratten, an island off Sweden west coast in the archipelago outside Gothenburg.

Commissioned by the County of Gothenburg, the facility will play an important role in the local public transport system, handling around 50 calls daily by skerry boats and with a capacity of around 25,000 passengers in both directions.

Conventional fixed wooden or concrete bridge systems currently in use have long posed problems due to water level variations and the different draughts of the ferries. Significant slopes can be created on the gangway between the bridges and the ferry bow during disembarkation and boarding, causing difficulties for the elderly and disabled as well as passengers with prams.

European Community rules call for all such terminal systems to meet the requirements of disabled people by the end of 2010. The new Styrs¶ Bratten facility will be deployed from June 1 this year.

Configured as a floating pontoon secured by rods, MacGREGOR terminal structure will follow the variation in water levels. Access between the pontoon and quay will be arranged by four ramps providing a safe passage for passengers in either direction.