The Marine Oil Terminal Engineering and Maintenance Program at the Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles (POLA) is a major seaport serving as a "Gateway to the Pacific" both to the Southern California region and nation. The Port has eight liquid bulk facilities comprising a total of 114 acres to handle various types of commodities for both import and export. Handling facilities include tankers, barges, bulk carriers and storage tanks with convenient rail access. The Marine Oil Terminal Engineering and Maintenance Standards (MOTEMS) were approved by the California Building Standards Commission on January 19, 2005, and are codified as Chapter 31F (Marine Oil Terminals), Title 24, California Code of Regulations, Part 2, California Building Code. These standards apply to all existing and new marine oil terminals in California, and include criteria for inspection, structural analysis and design, mooring and berthing, geotechnical considerations, fire, piping, mechanical and electrical systems. Chapter 31F was published by the Building Standards Commission on August 10, 2005 and became effective on February 6, 2006. The POLA developed MOTEMS Program to audit the eight liquid bulk facilities located within the Port of Los Angeles including: 1) Berths 70–71 terminal operated by Westway, 2) Berths 118–120 terminal operated by Kinder Morgan, 3) Berths 148– 151 terminal operated by Conoco-Phillips, 4) Berth 163 terminal operated by Shore Terminals LLC, 5) Berths 164 terminal operated by Ultramar, Inc., 6) Berths 167–169 terminal operated by Shell Oil, 7) Berths 187–191 terminal operated by Vopak, and 8) Berths 239–240C terminal operated by Exxon-Mobil. This paper addresses the audit and design challenges of the POLA MOTEMS program including the preparation of the Initial Audit Report for each facility, and the preparation of Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E's) to bring the identified facilities into compliance with MOTEMS standards.