Structural Rehabilitation of an Active Container Facility: A Collaborative Approach

As part of the improvement and modernization of the Paul W. Conley Container Terminal (Conley Terminal) in South Boston, Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) rehabilitated existing container ship Berth 11. The existing berth has been in use since World War II and has undergone a series of modifications and improvements over the years. The original design draft for the facility was −40 ft mean low water (MLW). In the early 1980s, the berth was retrofitted with a concrete deck. As part of this retrofit, high-capacity concrete crane beams supported by steel piles were added to support low-profile ship-to-shore container cranes. In 2000, bracing was installed on the outshore crane beam piles to allow dredging down to −45 ft MLW. The project that is the subject of this presentation rehabilitated and improved the berth again in 2018/2019 to allow further deepening to −50 ft mean lower low water (MLLW). The latest upgrades allowed for dredging of the ship berth to a depth 12 ft deeper than the berth’s original design, a strengthened deck to restore and improve deck capacity, stronger bollards for larger vessel mooring, and a larger fender system to safely allow larger vessels to dock. The upgrades to the berth were significant, and all had to be performed while maintaining ship operations and container handling. Shutting down or limiting operations on the berth was not an option. This unique challenge resulted in a collaborative effort with terminal operations, the contractor, and the engineer to maintain full operation of the facility while successfully completing the necessary berth improvements. This collaborative approach resulted in a successful project that finished ahead of schedule and under budget.