Hesselberg Hydro provides innovative tailor-made solutions for coastal, river and dam erosion protection
Originally part of the Norwegian A/S Sigurd Hesselberg group, Hesselberg Hydro was established in 1986 to concentrate on dam waterproofing. Today, the company specialises in the application of asphalt in hydraulic engineering, and particularly systems for erosion protection, underwater scour protection and waterproofing. Managing Director, Roger Smith, shares some more detailed insights: “The business was bought by a UK company in the late 1980s and since then ownership has stayed in the UK. I joined the company in 1992 and completed a management buyout in 2004 with my then managing director, Niek Leguit. Niek developed the Dutch subsidiary whilst I concentrated on the UK side of the business. That gave us, in the UK, the benefit of working with the global experts in coastal defence engineering, and the leaders in the use of asphalt in hydraulic engineering.
“In 2021, we linked up with Teignmouth Maritime Services (TMS) by setting up a new company with TMS as a 50 percent shareholder. My Dutch business partner was retiring, and we were getting busier with some fairly large projects coming up, so I felt that the business would benefit from a stronger financial base. The specialist experience of Hesselberg Hydro combined with the resources, and the financial security of a bigger company has worked really well. That was four years ago, and while we’re still quite a small company within the group, this is changing since the recent investment in the TMS group of companies from Sullivan Street Partners via the Ancora Group.
“Our main strength is that we provide solutions for practically any erosion protection problem that clients may have. We have experience with a range of materials, though most of our work tends to be with porous asphalt. Our work covers the whole water system, from dams through rivers down to the estuary, and then along the coastlines; we do work in ports, and historically we’ve done some work offshore, but that’s a fairly small part of our portfolio which we don’t actively pursue and most often occurs off the back of existing clients. We are often involved with projects at an early stage providing design guidance and budgets for clients to assess. We supply and install a variety of materials, including reinforced geomats predominantly for rivers, open stone asphalt for dams and revetments, and grouted rock for the most exposed coastlines. We also provide underwater scour protection at depths of up to 20 metres, which is suitable for erosion protection of ports and quays.
“In terms of waterproofing dams, we are primarily involved with inspection and maintenance of existing facilities and are currently the maintenance contractor for the upper storage dam on a hydroelectric scheme in North Wales. Due to the specialist nature of our work, we offer inspection and maintenance consultancy services to our clients across all the fields in which we operate.”
Project expertise
Roger then highlights a project that exemplifies the company’s expertise and strengths: “One of the best examples is the Canvey Island Southern Shoreline Project, which we’ve recently completed. This was a two-year project for us with a value of over £20 million. As well as being the largest project we’ve done, it also had unique challenges for us to overcome. As well as the usual weather and tidal conditions, access was limited and the very long revetment slope length, required a specialist plan and a whole new way of thinking about how to deliver the project. It was successfully completed within time and budget.” 
Quality-assured solutions
Looking forward, Roger then outlines the company’s priorities for the rest of the year and beyond: “Now we have such a strong team behind us, my priorities are to spend more time getting out there and speaking to existing and potential clients. I’m going to be concentrating more on business development and less on project delivery than I’ve been doing in the past. I am working on several reservoirs and other coastal projects to further these goals. This process includes speaking to the various clients to monitor the ongoing performance of previous work. For example, in the late 1990s, we completed a particular project where we upgraded a rock revetment on a dam; recent contact with the dam supervising engineers confirmed that there’s been no damage whatsoever nearly 30 years later. It was a pioneering project at the time, and it’s been really successful. That’s the kind of longevity we seek.
“Looking further ahead, in five years’ time Ancora want to add three-to-four other specialist businesses by acquisition. These businesses, along with TMS and Hesselberg Hydro will grow with our existing clients organically and be the definitive UK leader in marine infrastructure delivery. Ancora will be more than the sum of its parts meaning we will be able to solve most marine issues with safe, innovative and quality assured solutions.”
Roger then concludes with a call to arms seeking partners to help build an unrivalled network of maritime services: “We’d like to invite anyone reading this to contact us if any of this is appealing. We’d like to hear both from people working in the industry who are looking for a new challenge, but also from any marine infrastructure businesses in particular who may think that they could benefit from being part of this group. We’re looking to work with great companies, people, and potential clients, so together, we can provide the ultimate solutions for safeguarding against erosion issues.”