Design and Construction of a Cruise Pier with Time and Location Constraints at Royal Caribbean's Private Destination in Labadee, Haiti

In 2009, a new cruise pier opened at Labadee Haiti, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s (RCL) private destination. The cruise pier was the only port of call on the inaugural voyage of the Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship. The inaugural sailing was announced 12 months prior to the voyage, so the construction timeline was critical. To meet this deadline, final design and construction were completed on an accelerated design-bid-build schedule in less than 16 months. The remote location on the northeast coast of Haiti provided a logistical challenge for both material and personnel. Construction was additionally constrained in that the active cruise destination had to remain operational for the Cruise Line's fleet during the entire construction. The pier design incorporated the new, more stringent seismic and wave load requirements stipulated in the International Building Code. In addition, the design team conducted feasibility and environmental studies, geotechnical investigations, and breakwater design. The design was tendered at 60% to allow Contractor involvement in the final design process and mitigate the need for numerous RFIs and Change Requests. Orion Marine Group was awarded the construction contract. As a requirement of the Haitian Government, RCL provided a concrete batch plant on the premises, which was operated by a Haitian company. Having the design engineer's personnel on site for extended site visits facilitated design changes necessitated by unexpected conditions. This paper will discuss the accelerated time frame and difficulties constructing a pier in a highly seismic, remote location, with challenging soil conditions.