115 Construction Management Marine Terminal

Ports 2010: Building on the Past, Respecting the Future 2010 ASCE
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CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT OF A MARINE TERMINAL EXPANSION Sid Sridhar, P.Eng.1 Mark Mattila, M.A.Sc., P.Eng.2 Ray Collier, P.Eng.3
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President, Seabulk Systems Inc., Suite 150 10271 Shellbridge Way, Richmond, B.C., Canada V6X 2W8; PH (604) 273-1378; FAX (604) 273-1358; email: sbs@seabulk.com Senior Engineer, Marine, Seabulk Systems Inc., Suite 150 10271 Shellbridge Way, Richmond, B.C., Canada V6X 2W8; PH (604) 273-1378; FAX (604) 273-1358; email: sbs@seabulk.com
Vice President and General Manager, Aggregates Division, Lehigh Northwest Materials Ltd., 20230 64 Avenue, Langley, B.C., Canada V2Y 1N3; PH (604) 2612211; FAX (604) 261-1194; email: RCollier@lehighcement.com ABSTRACT The expansion of an operating marine terminal is often complicated by the need to maintain existing operations without interference while new development is taking place in its midst. Construction Aggregates Limited (now Lehigh Northwest Materials Ltd.) operates British Columbias largest sand and gravel mine at Sechelt, near Vancouver. In March 2000, Construction Aggregates Limited of Vancouver, British Columbia awarded a design/build contract to Seabulk Systems Inc. of Richmond, British Columbia to design and construct a new marine bulk aggregate load out terminal for coastal barges and deep-sea Panamax bulk carriers at Sechelt. Owner requirements that challenged the design and management team included keeping the existing bulk load out facility operational without interference to shipping activity while the new offshore conveying and marine infrastructure was built. Additionally, the maximum operational downtime for transfer from the old to the new facilities was not to exceed two weeks. This paper discusses the design, construction and management decisions that led to the successful implementation of a design/build bulk aggregate facility expansion within fifteen months of contract award. Key Words: Construction Management, Project Management, Marine Terminal Expansion
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1. INTRODUCTION Construction Aggregates Limited (CAL, now Lehigh Northwest Materials Ltd.) operates British Columbias largest sand and gravel mine at Sechelt, near Vancouver. From 1988 until 2001 coastal barging was used to transport bulk aggregate to supply concrete and construction markets in the Vancouver area. The firm recognized the pending shortages of sand and gravel in central and southern California as a business opportunity and undertook to pursue those markets. The proximity of the sand and gravel mine to tidewater was a key factor that enabled CAL to expand their facilities to supply other markets outside the regional area. In March 2000, CAL awarded a design/build contract to Seabulk Systems Inc. of Richmond, British Columbia to design and construct a new marine bulk aggregate load-out terminal for coastal barges and deep-sea Panamax bulk carriers at Sechelt, 50 km northwest of Vancouver. The new facility comprised offshore conveyors, a ship loader and marine infrastructure for coastal barges and Panamax bulk carriers, Figure 1.
Figure 1: May 2001 - Aggregate Export Facility, Sechelt, BC The project had the challenge of expanding an existing facility with lower output capabilities thus requiring the existing conveying and upland facilities to also be upgraded. While the new facility was being designed and constructed, operation of
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the existing facility was required to be maintained without interruption of shipping. The required maximum down time for the transfer from the existing barge load out system to the new load out system could not exceed two weeks. The two-week period was critical as it corresponded to the stockpile capacity of Vancouver area depots. Seabulks design/build contract included liquidated damages for schedule over-runs. The system design and performance requirements included: Offshore conveyor system with 4,000 tonnes per hour capacity; Quadrant ship loader capable of loading all hatches on Panamax bulk carriers with vessel warping; Ship berth capable of accommodating vessels ranging from coastal barges up to Panamax bulk carriers; and Catwalk access for operation and maintenance personnel along both sides of the conveyor, the quadrant beam and dock side structures.
2. BACKGROUND The project site is at Trail Bay, Sechelt, about 50 km northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia, Figure 2, the sand and gravel mine being located above the village of Sechelt. Mine operations started in 1988 at which time CAL used their own fleet of tugs and barges to transport aggregate to Vancouver area depots from their load out facility at the head of Trail Bay. The new deep sea berth is located in 15 meters of water at low tide, 180 meters offshore from the original barge berth, Figure 3.
Figure 2: Location Plan, Sechelt, BC
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Figure 3: Site Plan, Sechelt, BC 3. DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION 3.1 Deep Sea Berth The vessels intended to use the facility included coastal barges ranging from about 2,000 to 12,300 DWT at a frequency of 750 vessels per year and deep sea bulk carriers up to 70,000 DWT with a frequency of 18 to 20 vessels per year, Table 1. Table 1: Design Vessels Vessel LOA (m) Bulk Carrier 225 Barge 106 Barge 78 Barge 54 Beam (m) 32 23 18 14 Draught (m) 8.7 1.1 0.9 0.8 DWT (tonnes) 70,800 12,300 5,000 2,200 Remarks In Ballast Light Light Light
The offshore structures comprise the ship/barge berth dolphins and the foundations for the materials handling system. They are fixed structures of a conventional design and are constructed of cast in place concrete platforms supported on steel pipe piles, an exception being the single conveyor support platform supporting the load out conveyor truss just offshore of the existing barge berth. This platform was designed to have the precast concrete cap welded on to the piling to enable rapid installation during final installations. The availability of a ready mix concrete supplier in the town of Sechelt and a barge landing ramp located within a kilometer of the project site favored the use of cast in place concrete.
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The geotechnical site investigation commissioned by the design team showed medium dense sand and gravels interspersed with cobbles and silts but with some loose areas. Uncertainty about pile penetration and bearing directed the design team to the use of steel pipe piling, the pipe being ordered as the design was in process. 3.2 Materials Handling System The materials handling system is comprised of the ship loader and offshore conveyor. The loader design, Table 2, enables it to load all of the design vessels at a rate of 4,000 tonnes per hour. Full hatch coverage of a bulk carrier would involve warping the ship along the berth face. Table 2: Ship Loader Parameters Item Parameter 1 General Description 2 Span Configuration 3 Slewing Radius 4 Slewing Arc 5 Luffing Range 6 Shuttle Range 7 Hatch Coverage 8 Finished Weight 9 Capacity 10 Design Material 11 Belt Width 12 Belt Speed 13 Slewing Bearing 14 Truck Arrangement Remarks Quadrant Ship Loader Dual Steel Girders 3 m deep 43 m Approximately 90 +16 to -10 24 m 4 hatches (Panamax) 290 tonnes 4,000 tonnes per hour 50 mm minus stone and sand 1.4 m 2.0 m/s Ball Bearing Ring 3.2 m diameter Four Two-Wheel Trucks
The ship loader is integrated with a control system that requires two operators, one managing loading at the ship berth and one managing reclaiming and blending operations at the mine located 1.5 km from the berth. The offshore conveyor runs 190 meters from the pivot point of the old barge load out facility to the pivot point of the new ship loader, Table 3. The new offshore conveyor is of a different design than the original conveyor that is built atop precast concrete double tee beams at 18 m c/c span. Table 3: New Offshore Conveyor Parameters Item Parameter Remarks 1 General Description 190 m Long Conveyor 2 Span Configuration Welded Steel Truss 35 m c/c 3 Standard Span 4 Field Connections Bolted at Supports 5 Walkways Both Sides 6 Belt and Capacity Same as Ship Loader
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3.3 Ship Loader Installation Various methods were considered to lift and place the ship loader onto the support structures at the site. These included a single pick using a marine derrick and jacking from a barge. In the final analysis, weather risk was a prime consideration and it was decided to use the marine derrick method that lifted and placed the ship loader in the shortest possible time frame. On the morning of March 29, 2001, a 400 ton capacity heavy lift marine derrick crane lifted and installed the ship loader onto its support structures at Sechelt, Figure 4. The entire operation took 4.5 hours. The previous day, the same method was used at the assembly site to lift the ship loader onto a barge for transportation to Sechelt.
Figure 4: March 2001 - Ship Loader Installation 4. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 4.1 Division of Work The project implementation was divided along marine structural and materials handling disciplines, Table 4 and Figure 5. Along this division of responsibilities project planning, design and construction was managed by separate teams up to the installation of the ship loader. After ship loader installation a combined project team undertook to complete system installation, testing and start-up.
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Figure 5: Project Task Sequencing
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Table 4: Project Teams and Responsibilities Team Responsibilities Location Marine Structural Installation of Marine Structures and Sechelt Conveyors Materials Handling Fabricate and Test Ship Loader and Vancouver Conveyors Start Up Install Ship Loader, Conveyor, Test and Sechelt Start-up
4.2 Coordination and Schedule Common information and milestones to both marine structural and materials handling required coordination between the teams. Important information shared by each of the project teams included 1) design information including platform geometry, elevation and position and ship loader slewing range and radius and 2) milestone dates including latest possible completion for marine structures and milestone date for installation of ship loader. After installation of the ship loader both teams shared a common work site and resources were shared such as marine derricks for hoisting and placing equipment over water. The project schedule is summarized, Table 5. Table 5: Project Schedule Item Activity 1 Design/Build Proposal 2 Contract Award 3 Design 4 Marine Construction Phase1: Lead Up to Transfer 5 Ship Loader Fabrication 6 Winter Shut Down 7 Marine Construction Phase 2: Complete Transfer 8 Ship Loader Assembly and Testing 9 Ship Loader Installation 10 System Switch Over (2 weeks) 11 On Site Testing and Start-Up 12 Substantial Completion Time Frame Feb 2000 Mar 2000 Mar to Aug 2000 Jul to Dec 2000 Jul to Dec 2000 Jan to Feb 2001 Mar to May 2001 Jan to Mar 2001 Mar 29, 2001 Apr 19 to May 3, 2001 Apr to May 2001 May 3, 2001
Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the marine construction separated the work that involved primarily pile driving and platform installation and work during the system transfer that would require different equipment mostly to support the installation of the materials handling system. In addition, the two-month period between the two phases was during stormy winter weather when the risk of weather delay was highest at the site. Marine design and construction was fast-tracked to gain lead time for delivery of steel pipe piling. Early in the design phase, loads on pile supported structures were
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estimated. With knowledge of the loads and configuration, the project geotechnical engineer was able to confirm pile size and embedded length thus enabling steel pipe to be ordered and fabricated to the required dimensions. More detailed aspects of the marine structure design proceeded as the marine construction contract was underway. Six months into the marine construction contract the detailed design was completed. Materials handling design was also fast-tracked to expedite the fabrication schedule. 4.3 Subcontracts
Portions of the design and technical services were outsourced when specialist expertise or additional resources were required and included: 1) structural design review 2) marine operations and pilotage review 3) electrical and control design 4) ship mooring analysis 5) testing services for steel fabrication, welding and coating 6) concrete testing services 7) geotechnical services. The work was subdivided among subcontractors specializing in: 1) marine construction and fabrication of ship loader bridge girder and shuttle 2) operators cab 3) electrical room 4) conveyor truss 5) boom and winch design and fabrication 6) electrical installation and mechanical installation 7) testing and start-up. The fabrication subcontracts for the ship loader were tendered within a close time frame to each other. The completed ship loader components were brought together at a site in North Vancouver, B.C. for assembly and testing two months prior to erection. The assembly site had tide water access so that the ship loader could be moved by barge to Sechelt for installation. On March 28, 2001, the ship loader was lifted onto a barge using a 400 ton capacity heavy lift marine derrick for transport to Sechelt and erection the following day. 4.4 Maintaining Existing Operations Maintaining operation of the existing barge loader and barging operations at Sechelt was a constraint affecting project planning and design. It was necessary that a corridor for barge operations be left open until the final tie-in of the new conveyor to the existing one. This was attained by: 1) installing all berth structures, the ship loader and offshore conveyor in advance, except for a portion, to leave a corridor open for existing barge operations 2) providing long conveyor spans (35 meters) to minimize the number of structures that would have to be installed in the berthing area 3) using precast concrete construction for the pile cap of the final conveyor support in the berthing area so as to expedite its installation and 4) installing the final conveyor support by welding inset steel tabs to the steel piles just prior to the shutdown period so as to minimize impact on existing barge operations and risk of collision. 4.5 Transfer to New System CAL also required that the down time for the transfer from the existing system to the new system should not exceed two weeks. The two-week period was critical as it corresponded to the aggregate stockpile capacity of CALs Vancouver area depots. The contract included liquidated damages for schedule over-runs.
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The construction plan would leave two weeks to complete tasks, including:
removal of existing barge loader; installation of two conveyor spans; pulling of conveyor belt; installation of power and telecommunications cabling; installation of transfer chute; energizing of system from on-shore power; testing and start-up.
The project team concluded that these tasks could be completed in a two-week period but they were at risk of weather delay. Weather delays did occur, but, despite this, the transfer was completed within the specified two-week time frame. The first barge was loaded on May 3, 2001. 5. CONCLUSIONS The Sechelt Deep Sea Berth and Ship Loader Project was a design/build turnkey project delivered by Seabulk Systems to Construction Aggregates Ltd. Seabulk Systems assembled and managed a comprehensive team of consultants, contractors and suppliers for the initiative. The project history includes: fabrication, assembly and installation of a new ship loader; maintenance of existing barging operations during the course of construction of the new facility; decommissioning of the existing barge loading facility; transfer from an existing barge load out to a new ship loading system within a client imposed two-week time frame; satisfaction of system performance requirements; delivery and substantial completion within 15 months of contract award.
Project management initiatives including formation of teams, division of work, scheduling and value engineering contributed to successful implementation of the project. On October 12, 2001, the ship loader performed flawlessly and loaded the Sheila Ann, a 70,800 tonne self-unloading bulk carrier. The cargo was destined to an importer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Loading ships up to Panamax size is now routine at Sechelt and CAL has the ability to export Canadian aggregates to a world market.
Ports 2010

115 Construction Management Marine Terminal

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Ports 2010: Building on the Past, Respecting the Future 2010 ASCE

Figure 2: Location Plan, Sechelt, BC

Figure 5: Project Task Sequencing

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