Implementation of New Regulations for Marine Oil Terminals in California

There is an aging infrastructure of marine oil terminals (MOTs)in California, many over 50 years old. Most of these structures were built with little or no consideration for seismic loading and the current state of repair is generally poor. Along with the increased seismic risk is the possibility of massive amounts of oil to be spilled in California's ports or in the San Francisco Bay. Also, these structures were designed for much smaller vessels than are currently calling, and thus mooring and fender loads are significantly higher today than the original design. In 2006, a new chapter of the California Building Code "Marine Oil Terminals Engineering and Maintenance Standards" (MOTEMS), created by the California State Lands Commission (CSLC) became enforceable. The initial step of this enforceable standard requires the submission of an "audit" that includes an assessment of the structural fitness-for-purpose and an evaluation of the adequacy of mooring/berthing, piping, mechanical/electrical and fire systems. To date, eleven marine oil terminals have submitted their initial audits and rehabilitation has been scheduled. Rehabilitation proceeds on a schedule mutually agreed upon by the operator and the CSLC. Implementation ranges from quick fixes for some deficiencies to major structural rehabilitation projects requiring years to complete. For mooring and berthing, the current condition of the terminal is used to determine safe operating conditions. For fender systems, if they do not meet the MOTEMS criteria with specific impact velocities, the capacity of the existing system is determined, and a back-calculated impact velocity obtained. In this situation, the operator must enforce this maximum allowable impact velocity, with aids such as laser devices. For the case of moorings, if the hooks, bollards, bitts, etc. cannot withstand the 25 year return period wind criteria of MOTEMS, a reduced wind speed is calculated, based on the capacities of the various mooring points and the structural capacity of the wharf/pier. The operator must monitor wind speed and direction, to ensure that 30 second gusts do not exceed this calculated value. For the seismic demand, in most cases major structural rehabilitation is required and is scheduled for completion over a number of years; normal operations continue without any restrictions. The paper will describe some of these issues, solutions and details of structural rehabilitation used to bring a uniform level of "fitness-for-purpose" to geriatric marine oil terminals in California.