Port Canaveral North Cargo Berth 5 & 6 Wharf

The Canaveral Port Authority is constructing two adjacent heavy-duty cargo wharfs in the West Turning Basin to expand and accommodate the current bulk cargo commodity demand in addition to planning for the future increase in the ports container traffic market. The $32 million project will include a 630-m- (2,067-ft-) long deep bulkhead wall wharf, two 4,024 m² (43,312 SF) concrete load relieving platforms with over four hundred 457-mm- (18-inch-) square concrete piles at each berth, eight 100 MT onshore monopole mooring bollard foundations, and over 280,000 m³ (366,226 CY) of dredging, the majority of which will be disposed at an off-shore disposal area. This paper will focus on the basis of design for the two berths, how it will accommodate a variety of Handysize, Handymax to Panamax class bulk cargo / container design vessels, the mooring and berthing requirements, and the various constructability methods used to address the various challenges encountered during construction. The selection of the wharf configuration and various marine structures will be described, including:the design of the deep bulkhead walls for the existing difficult soils conditions within the port, the various future berth expansion capabilities incorporated into the design so as to be in line with the overall Canaveral Port Authority's master future plan, and the use of a massive, load-relieving platform to reduce the loads imposed on the bulkhead wall. It will also briefly describe the various geotechnical issues and incidences encountered throughout the port's evolutionary history.