Modernizing a 90 Year Old Petroleum Shipping Terminal to Meet Current Operation Standards and Regulations

The State of California enacted environmental safeguards to ensure environmental protection at 60+ existing and all new marine oil terminals. This was codified as a part of the California building code and known as MOTEMS (Marine Oil Terminal Engineering and Maintenance Standards) and implemented by the California State Lands Commission (CSLC) starting in 2006. This paper discusses how an existing 90+ year old terminal is addressing these requirements in a phased process and has successfully improved their operations while satisfying the state mandated improvements. The terminal was originally constructed of timber piling and heavy timber beams and worked well for many years. Maintenance was accomplished regularly, but as ship sizes grew and terminal products changed, and adjacent shipping channel increased traffic, the original components were unable to stay current with growing operating demands. Potential seismic design hazards were becoming better understood and the risk of facility damage grew due to this increased scientific knowledge. The owner was monitoring the developing MOTEMS legislation and began addressing CSLC to determine regulatory priorities and how they fit with corporate goals for the facility. The result was a comprehensive strategy to improve the shipping terminal to meet modern day shipping needs and current regulatory standards and environmental risks. The first project began design in 2007 and completed construction in 2010. It provides 8 new breasting dolphins and associated mooring improvements; it uses the existing timber wharf as access only. Figure 1 shows these planned berthing dolphin improvements. The dolphin project considered rigid concrete pile and concrete cap dolphins, supplied either with large buckling fenders or floating pneumatic fenders. It also considered large diameter steel pipe flexible monopile dolphins with large buckling fenders. The monopile dolphins were selected because of initial capital cost economy and because they could be constructed more easily and quickly without significant impact to ongoing terminal operations nor interference with the forest of existing piles. A related project is changing the oil transfer piping system effectively reducing most over water piping. New terminal loading platforms, walkways, and marine loading arms are planned and in the design phase. Further projects are planned which will increase seismic stability of the marginal embankment. The port authority is the owner of the terminal structure and the land. The oil company leases the terminal and land and is the owner of the topside improvements. The project required close coordination between the different entities to achieve to project goals of having fully compliant terminals without major operational disruptions as well as satisfying the state mandated improvements.