Life-Cycle Management - West Coast Deep Sea Wharf

A major export terminal in the Vancouver Harbour has five shipping berths, two of which consist of timber pile and deck construction with an asphalt overlay. The berths were originally constructed in 1959 and extended in 1965. Little to no maintenance was carried out at the berths until the mid-1990s, when an internal assessment raised questions about the condition of the facility. To better understand the situation, a comprehensive inspection of the facility was commissioned in 1996/1997. The inspection revealed widespread deterioration of the timber elements and alternatives to address the situation were investigated. Two alternatives were proposed: complete replacement of the facility and implementation of a phased maintenance program. This paper discusses the life cycle management (LCM) approach that was used to assess the two alternatives. A comparison between the costs of complete replacement and a phased maintenance program is presented.