Construction Management of a Marine Terminal Expansion

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 Columbia's 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.