Integration of Container Terminal Design and Construction with Operations to Reduce the Project Delivery Cost and Shorten the Schedule

Port Owners or Operators want to build their marine civil works using tested technologies while simultaneously using engineering and contracting innovations to deliver their projects ahead of schedule and below capital budget. As such, the project delivery method chosen for a project should be a confluence of proven engineering and construction systems coupled with logistical approaches that, when combined, help shorten construction schedules and lower costs. This paper outlines such a project delivery method, the thrust of which is to drastically reduce the dependence of the developer on traditional marine contractors by using construction systems relying instead on progressive land-based building techniques. The method integrates container port infrastructure construction with downstream operations by using owner-furnished container cranes as construction cranes — which are integrated into the operation of the marine terminal following construction — rather than relying on conventional marine derricks and other floating equipment for construction. The method effectively converts a marine-based project into a land-based project, which, among other things, vastly expands the pool of potential contractors who can bid and execute the work. This construction methodology applies well to the Design-Build, Finance, Operate delivery system because it relies on the coordination of project design and construction with terminal operations and finance. The paper illustrates the construction method by walking through the construction of the proposed LLX Logıstica offshore port called Porto Brasil highlighting the relative speed of construction and areas of project simplification and cost saving.