Ports 2019: Port Planning and Development

A working group within the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) Environmental Commission is developing a standard of practice to support ports and other public and commercial navigation interests in managing environmental risks associated with navigation infrastructure projects. Decision making to manage these risks involves economic and environmental costs and is complicated by diverse policies, perspectives, risk attitudes, and personal values. The report will provide a robust, practical approach to managing environmental risks that considers physical, chemical, biological, and socioeconomic processes that can span broad spatial and temporal scales. Understanding and articulating uncertainties related to these processes is essential to developing projections regarding future risk management actions and adaptive management strategies. An overview will be provided of the structured management process through which actions for reducing environmental risks are identified, evaluated, selected, and implemented. Uncertainty (e.g., short-term infrastructure operations), long-range risks (e.g., climate change), residual risk, resiliency of natural features, and the role of sustainability and life-cycle analysis in risk management will be discussed. The approach is compatible with PIANC’s working with nature philosophy.

The shrinking sea ice cover in the Arctic zone over the last decades hints fundamental difficulties at assessing the potential threats on coastal structures. A Bayesian probabilistic model for the estimation of probabilities of failure on berm breakwaters was constructed to deal with the limited data in the Arctic and tackle the uncertainties. The model was trained based on historical data from the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, as well as, expert predictions on breakwater damages. The predictive goodness of the model was examined with log-likelihood tests. Sensitivity analysis showed the importance of each forcing variable in the failure probabilities of the structure. A key finding is that the developed model can predict damage intensities on a berm breakwater by incorporating the non-well investigated wave-ice interactions. The study provides a novel and time efficient tool on the probabilistic design of port defense structures that lie in the Arctic region.

A mission common to ports is to create good jobs by advancing trade and commerce while also managing environmental resources. Development by ports and port tenants can affect aquatic environments or sensitive areas, and unavoidable impacts must be mitigated pursuant to federal, state, and local regulations. As landowners, ports are in a unique position to select sites for mitigation. Ports can choose to mitigate for unavoidable habitat impacts on an individual project basis or conduct advance mitigation to address mitigation needs for future development projects. Advance mitigation can occur on a small or large scale, such as a mitigation bank. To provide flexibility, some ports have elected to develop umbrella mitigation banks, which can include multiple habitat restoration sites to restore a range of habitat functions. This paper reviews benefits and challenges with each approach, lessons learned from mitigation projects, and a summary of port-led mitigation banking programs.

Multi-season sediment remedial actions began in June 2017 at Lora Lake, part of a larger Port of Seattle (Port) Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Cleanup Site managed by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) and will be completed in October 2019. The site is located on Port property within the secured area of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-managed mitigation area, and within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 100-year floodplain. The site remedy includes placing 56,000 cubic yards of carbon-amended sand cap throughout the 3-acre manmade lake to return it to its native wetland condition. This remedial action was selected through a net environmental benefit approach that considered the goals of multiple agencies and stakeholders. Considerations included compliance with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration rules for runway protection zones, reduction of aircraft navigation dangers from bird strikes, limitation of disturbance to surrounding USACE-managed mitigation areas, and water quality improvements to downstream Miller Creek, a salmon-bearing stream with local government and community interest. The collaborative remedial design effort included: remedy selection based on consideration of benefits and impacts to the surrounding ecosystem and airport; strategic coordination with local, state, and federal agencies regarding these short- and long-term impacts; and design incorporation of hydrogeologic groundwater flow and engineering floodplain analyses.

Treating industrial stormwater at marine port container terminals requires a multidisciplinary approach and site-specific solutions, and the Terminal 18 (T18) Stormwater Improvements Project exemplifies this. T18 is located within the Harbor Island Superfund site in Seattle, Washington, and is one of the largest container terminals in the Pacific Northwest. Washington has one of the most stringent permit requirements in the country for common stormwater contaminants of copper and zinc. Subsequent to a third-party lawsuit, the terminal operator and the state entered into an agreement in 2015 for the terminal operator to implement stormwater treatment to meet industrial permit discharge requirements. The agreement required stormwater treatment be constructed by 2020 in three phases. This required strategically implemented best management practices, well-informed treatment selection, and an alternatives analysis balanced to meet regulatory and site operator requirements. Following construction to date, the active treatment systems installed have generally met benchmarks while some passive treatment systems installed have produced mixed results, requiring focused adaptive management through troubleshooting and modified operations and maintenance schedules. Phase 3 is currently in design for construction in summer of 2020.

In 2015, TraPac, LLC (TraPac) initiated a project to expand into and modernize Berths 25 and 26 at the Port of Oakland (POAK). Berths 25 and 26 had been occupied by several tenants over the years prior to implementation of the current stormwater regulations. Portions of the leased property were subject to a deed restriction from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). In 2015, POAK developed new post-construction stormwater management standards to comply with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program that is imposed on the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), who approves implementation plans by local agencies. TraPac’s development required compliance with the POAK’s new post-construction stormwater management standards. This paper outlines the constraints that needed consideration, the post-construction best management practices (BMPs) selected, and their implementation in an innovative design for compliance with the new post-construction management requirements.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has adopted, as a part of the 404-permit process, a policy that allows offset of project impacts through in-kind mitigation. To address these requirements, the local port authority was responsible for creating 6.6 acres of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) habitat and 19.2 acres of shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) habitat as mitigation for the La Quinta Terminal Project. Meeting these mitigation requirements in semi-arid South Texas was a challenge that required careful planning, design, and construction. This challenge was approached by constructing the 200-acre Beneficial Use Site 6 (BUS 6) using new work (non-maintenance) dredged material through several phases. These included placement of dredge materials into BUS 6, reworking of placed materials, reuse of dredged material from an upland dredged material placement area (DMPA), and planting of 12.6 acres of marsh vegetation and 25.3 acres of shoal grass: the largest known actively planted seagrass mitigation project in Texas.

The urban waterfronts in the United States are largely characterized by hard shoreline walls of steel, concrete, timber, and stone. Though this construction maximizes area of usable property, it impairs natural ecosystems and further separates urban communities from the natural environment. On behalf of the National Aquarium (USA), and in collaboration with other design consultants, the authors are working to transform the highly urbanized canal between two piers in Baltimore, Maryland, into a floating wetlands habitat. When complete, the installation will be the first floating wetlands system of this scale in the United States. The 15,000 square foot (1,400 m²) floating wetland will provide habitat for numerous native species including crabs, mussels, wading birds waterfowl, eels, and other fish species, while allowing visitors a unique perspective of the salt marsh habitat of the Chesapeake Bay. Though small-scale floating wetlands have been installed in the Baltimore harbor in the past, their maintenance and short service lives have been hindrances to their widespread use. This floating wetland design facilitates maintenance activities and extends the service life of the wetland indefinitely through use of inert plastic materials and an adjustable buoyancy system to counteract the accumulation of marine growth. This design solution blurs the boundaries between natural and structured urban environments, showing they can coexist and flourish together.

The Port of Los Angeles has developed a Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan to address the impacts of sea level rise. Mean sea levels have risen four inches in the Los Angeles area over the last century. With global sea levels projected to continue to rise, public and private shoreline assets will become more vulnerable to an increase in the frequency and magnitude of coastal flood events. This plan identifies the areas of the nation’s leading seaport that are projected to be exposed to sea level rise by years 2030, 2050, and 2100, provides an overview of the port’s asset vulnerabilities, and presents a suite of strategies to both adapt over time and become more resilient to sea level rise. Port assets are categorized as follows: cargo wharves and miscellaneous operations, critical facilities, transportation (rail/roads), community assets, and natural habitats. This paper provides an overview of the methodology taken to develop the adaptation plan including: determining sea level rise projections, completing the asset inventory, developing sea level rise maps, a vulnerability assessment, development of adaptation strategies, cost impacts, and identification of implementation priorities.

Neural networks were applied to predict long-term tidal currents in the San Francisco Bay in lieu of typical hydrodynamic simulations. Conventional numerical modeling can require significant computational power and calculation times; however, trained neural networks can provide near-instantaneous calculation of coastal conditions to supplement or replace traditional hydrodynamic modeling efforts. For this study, supervised networks were developed to forecast and hind-cast tidal currents in San Francisco Bay. Two different artificial neural networks were created to predict bay-wide tides and tidal currents throughout all of San Francisco Bay: a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network, and a presumably more accurate long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN). Both neural networks were able to accurately forecast and hindcast long-term tides and tidal currents at any given time throughout all of San Francisco Bay. Using a trained neural network, long-term hydrodynamic model results can be obtained within seconds. Potential applications of the trained San Francisco Bay neural network include derivation of boundary conditions to drive smaller and more efficient nested hydrodynamic models, real-time prediction of hydrodynamics for navigation safety evaluations, and sediment or tracer transport for flushing studies.

From 1854 until 1952, the former Gloucester Gas Light Company (GGLC) operated a facility along the Gloucester, Massachusetts, waterfront to convert coal and oil into manufactured gas. The former manufactured gas plant (MGP) has since been re-developed consisting of a working waterfront with properties owned and operated by seven different entities, including the federal government, a local municipality city park and harbormaster facilities, a utility company, a non- profit marine museum, a harbor-side restaurant, and commercial fisheries-related operations. In 2010, site investigations and data were collected across the site which identified compounds from the former MGP site present below the upland ground surface and within Gloucester’s Inner Harbor. Subsequent to completion of the site investigation programs, a remedial action plan (RAP) resulted in the selection of a regulatory approved remedial alternative. In 2015, a $30 million two-season construction project was begun to implement the remedial alternative. This paper presents the basis of design and descriptions of the design and construction process for a complex remediation project in a working urban marine environment. Key design considerations include isolation or removal of MGP-impacted soil and sediment via the construction of engineered barriers within the tidal zone, overcoming geotechnical subsurface and tidal challenges, addressing unstable historical waterfront seawalls, and minimizing impacts to ongoing commercial and government waterfront operations. The engineered barriers constructed along the waterfront included a geosynthetic wrapped-face wall fronted by a granite block seawall with a groundwater treatment chimney between the two walls and an adjacent impermeable pile supported concrete seawall with a subsurface sheetpile wall as a vertical barrier to NAPL migration through/below the seawall. These seawalls were designed to replace the unstable granite block walls and to meet historical commission requirements for consistency with the existing wharves in the harbor.

Sediment characterization for material proposed to be dredged for the Mission Bay Ferry Landing (MBFL) and Water Taxi Landing (WTL) in San Francisco, CA, has identified areas with elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations that require capping. Analysis was performed to evaluate sediment transport and potential for recontamination of the cap due to transport of PAH-laden sediment from surrounding areas, and to provide design criteria for cap erosion protection design. The analysis estimated sediment movements to the cap from specific and separate surrounding areas during typical and storm conditions occurring in the past 50 years using a fully coupled wave/current/sediment transport model. Results of the analysis show that surrounding areas with elevated PAH concentrations are subject to periodic erosion primarily during storm events, and the volume of incoming cleaner sediments dwarfs the volume of eroded nearby bed sediments, resulting in a negligible recontamination of the cap over time.

The status of zero emission and near-zero emission (ZE/NZE) container handling equipment is presented in this paper, along with the anticipated future development of ZE/NZE technology. Current available technology is introduced based on its potential implementation at the different terminal operational areas. Options to utilize ZE/NZE for each operational area is discussed with respect to challenges and restrictions of ZE/NZE technologies. Identified limitations and their implications to operations, cost of implementation, and impacts to terminal operations are highlighted followed by a case study that compares the equipment cost and energy cost for two types of equipment, respectively. Conclusions summarize available ZE/NZE equipment status, operational concerns and restrictions, and the economic feasibility of today’s ZE/NZE equipment.

Numerous container terminals have significant height restrictions caused by proximity to airports. Low profile ship-to-shore container cranes (LPCs) are vital to these terminals. LPCs servicing ultra-large container vessels are significantly heavier and more complex than conventional A-frame cranes (AFCs), and present a myriad of new challenges for crane and wharf designers. The most significant difference between LPCs and AFCs is that the LPC boom is a truss that cantilevers over the ship and shuttles horizontally rather than rotating vertically, resulting in much larger wheel loads on the landside and waterside rails. A latest generation boom is 130 m long and has a massive 7 m deep truss. This paper discusses key design issues and solutions for projects in Australia, Florida, and Massachusetts. Issues include crane and component weights, geometry constraints, wheel loads, skidding, and fabrication challenges.

The Port of Long Beach is developing the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Project to improve on-dock rail operations, its competitive position, and its environmental footprint. Together the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach form the largest North American containerized trade gateway, but are challenged with inefficiencies and capacity constraints that result from a sub-divided port complex with distinct hand-offs between railroads, terminal operators, and a short line railroad that limits the effectiveness of the two ports’ scale. This paper discusses the challenges at these ports, and the project by the Port of Long Beach to create a new facility to streamline rail operations.

Berthing velocities for design of fender systems have long been based on old and incomplete data, often from studies dating as far back as the 1950s. Both PIANC and MOTEMS continue to use values based on these old datasets in their recommendations and rules for fender design. PIANC MarCom Working Group 145, Berthing Velocities and Fender Design, has attempted to collect data from around the world to improve the empirical background behind the values used for design of modern fender systems. Although plenty of useful data has been collected, data from marine oil terminals has been especially difficult to come by, due to the proprietary nature of oil companies. The supporting ASCE COPRI Berthing Velocity Committee has attempted to obtain data from several marine oil terminals to specifically address the data gap for this type of facility. This paper will present the results of the analysis of several years’ worth of data from a Northern California oil terminal with allision avoidance systems (berthing velocity monitoring systems) installed in 2010 or later. The berthing velocities have been recorded for several hundred vessel arrivals, ranging from small barges with deadweights of 5,000 MT to tankers with deadweights of up to 190,000 MT. The data for these arrivals has been analyzed and compared to the values provided in the referenced documents, particularly the data from PIANC Working Group 145, with commentary on trends and other factors that might influence the collected data.

More and larger Post Panamax container ships have visited PortMiami after the deepening of the entrance channel and the addition of the new locks in the Panama Canal. This trend is expected to continue. These wider and deeper draft ships squat more. This is particularly relevant in Miami as ships need to enter the channel on arrival with a speed of approximately 12 kn to maneuver in strong and varying cross-currents due to the Gulf Stream that are prevalent near the channel entrance. This speed is maintained in the outer end of the channel, where bank effects cause it to squat deeper in the water. As part of the study described in this paper, squat was measured during arrival channel transits of 17 Post Panamax container ships. Gulf Stream and tidal currents were measured simultaneously during nine transits. The squat and current measurements were used to calibrate and validate the numerical model for squat and wave response, Wavescat. The model was calibrated to include counter-currents and to represent increased squat at the stern due to propeller wash effects. The calibrated model was subsequently used to develop an underkeel clearance forecasting application. The application includes computation of all underkeel clearance components, squat, heel (due to turning and wind), and wave response. Five Post Panamax container ships are included in the application with capacities ranging from 5,500 TEU to 13,800 TEU.

Typical oceanographic instruments are expensive, specifically designed for a specific proposed, hard to deploy, and requires constant and specialised maintenance. However, here we present a simplified technique for measuring the 4-dimensional sea surface elevation (x, y, z, t) in space and time based on a low-cost stereo-video system using smartphones. The system is easy to deploy and mainly requires a fixed platform close to the sea. The time records are mostly limited by the equipment storage limit and battery life, although it can be easily replaced or recharged. In this work, we define the key points for this reconstruction and discuss its capabilities and limitations. We illustrate the application of the stereo video by smartphones-system by a beach experiment in the Southeast Brazilian coast.

In 2012 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) implemented “SMART” planning for conducting civil works feasibility studies for water resources development projects. Prior to the implementation of SMART planning, ship simulation was normally conducted as part of the feasibility portion of the project. SMART planning implementation moved the ship simulation effort into the pre-construction engineering and design (PED) phase of the project, primarily based on considerations for time and cost associated with the ship simulation effort. The implementation of SMART planning, and the associated delay of the ship simulation effort until the PED phase, has inadvertently resulted in pertinent decisions regarding channel layout being made prior to the benefit of expert analysis of piloted simulations. To address needs specific to feasibility studies in the SMART planning era, the USACE Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) developed the feasibility level screening simulation program (FLSSP). The FLSSP consists of low-resolution ship simulation modeling and a very limited testing program with pilots. The FLSSP approach was first implemented for the Long Beach, CA, project, with great success. This paper will outline the approach used, including environmental modeling considerations, to conduct FLSSP and provide the relevant project delivery team (PDT) with project guidance during the feasibility phase of navigation improvement studies.

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Transportation is executing a multiphase Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-funded reconstruction of Veterans Drive in the city of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. The first phase involves widening and reconstruction of about 2,500 linear feet (760 meters) of roadway and includes provisions for a people-friendly sidewalk along the waterfront. The seawall will retain fill soils varying in height from 8 to 14 feet (2.4 to 4.3 meters). The bid documents called for a stacked modular block system for the seawall, which would have required significant underwater work. The design-build team adopted a system of modular full-height precast concrete counterfort units placed over prepared seabed and connected together by a cast-in-place concrete beam. Precast concrete coping units placed over the wall provided a pleasing finish. Grade 60 stainless steel rebars provided a 50-year design life. All precast elements were fabricated in Virginia and barged to the island. The modular concept allowed the contractor to achieve good placement control for the mostly curved alignment (with three outlooks) and met the stringent architectural finish required.

The Pier G Terminal Rail Operation Efficiency Enhancement and Wharf Structural Integrity Improvements Project at the Port of Long Beach (POLB), through collaboration, coordination, and innovative design accomplished the following objectives: 1. restored operational efficiency, previously impaired for terminal rail operations on the Metro bulk loading terminal, where they no longer could run around the railyard on the mainline tracks; 2. provided innovative retrofit repair of a crack in the concrete wharf structure; 3. minimal disruption of terminal operations during construction through a well-planned program requiring collaboration and flexibility in construction schedules to accommodate the dynamic schedules of train unloading and ship loading. The design team developed a plan to eliminate the terminal operator’s use of the mainline tracks to run around the rail yard for access to the head end of the rail cars by constructing an 870-ft long lead track between POLB’s mainline tracks and the rail yard. The team developed a simulation model of rail operations to demonstrate and confirm the benefits of the proposed track modifications in the project planning stage to obtain support for the project from the terminal operators and stakeholders. Another aspect of the project involved an innovative repair of a longitudinal crack, approximately 1,200 feet in length, on the existing reinforced concrete wharf structure. The repair restored the structural integrity of the wharf structure. One of the primary project accomplishments involved creative response measures and procedures addressing frequent schedule alterations for the highly dynamic train and ship schedules during construction. The bid documents outlined likely encountered issues during construction and established reactive procedures to accomplish the construction with minimal impacts to the terminal’s operations and productivity. Despite the scheduling challenges and other difficulties at the site, construction was accomplished with efficiency and without visual loss in productivity for the terminal operators.

The largest project in its history, the West Vancouver freight access program allowed the Port of Vancouver, USA, to accommodate more rail traffic and larger freight volumes. With a first-of-its-kind railroad trench, the project removed a significant system chokepoint. By increasing track length by 34 miles, the port can handle eight times more railcars, operate more efficiently, and reduce mainline congestion. Working alongside the ecologically critical Columbia River, the team eliminated work in the river and minimized environmental impacts. The team constructed the trench to withstand a 100-year flood and earthquakes while providing a cap to the contaminated soil below and reducing impacts to nearby historic properties. The project opens access to the Columbia Gateway, the largest tract of undeveloped industrial property in Southwest Washington. It also allows the former Boise Cascade industrial site to become a vibrant mixed-use community. Complete ahead of schedule and $23 million under the original budget, the West Vancouver Freight Access program establishes the Port of Vancouver, USA, as an industry leader and an example of efficient rail services.

Marine structures are typically built with a fifty-year service life and must withstand some of the harshest environments. A portal crane and its substructure comprising Crane Runway 5 at the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland, situated along Arundel Cove is an example of one of these structures. In 2017, during a routine inspection of Crane Runway 5, significant amounts of fill loss were noted through a small gap in a steel sheet pile bulkhead. This finding initiated a series of special inspections and a deep dive into the history and design of the structure. The results of the special field investigation pointed to an overloaded structure which required a new design to support the facility’s loading conditions. This paper discusses the work performed during the field investigation and design under the direction of USCG Civil Engineering Unit Cleveland.

The Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, is Canada’s primary Atlantic gateway. With sheltered deep water on the great circle route between Northern Europe and New York, excellent rail connections to Central Canada, and high cargo demand on the North Atlantic seaboard, there is clear potential for Halifax to increase its container traffic. However, the future success of Halifax hinges on its ability to increase capability for serving ultra-class container vessels (UCCVs). One of Halifax’s two main container terminals is on Fairview Cove, north of two suspension bridges that prevent UCCV passage. To increase its big ship capability, the Halifax Port Authority must expand its berth space south of the bridges. New berth developments must respect a wide range of constraints in Halifax’s rich urban fabric, including parks, housing, historic monuments, and cruise facilities. For example, lengthening the existing berth at the south container terminal (SCT) is an apparent engineering solution; however, the view from Halifax’s beautiful and historic Point Pleasant Park, which sits immediately inland from the existing berth, would be adversely impacted. Expansion of SCT capacity also could increase congestion on Halifax’s narrow downtown streets, through which half of SCT’s traffic flows. Any capacity augmentations must be planned to avoid further degradation of access to Halifax’s vibrant commercial core. A port master planning effort started with an unconstrained examination of all possible solutions to both berth placement and landside transport improvements. High level berth alternatives included extensions, re-alignments, and relocations within the existing SCT, and replacing SCT with a new “bluefield” terminal. Landside alternatives to improve transportation included the use of short-haul barges, short-haul inter-terminal rail shuttles, a new dual-mode road/rail arterial, a new tunnel to divert trucks, an inland rail yard to decrease downtown truck traffic, and a new terminal located elsewhere in the harbor to shift operations away from Halifax. The Master Plan Team conducted extensive stakeholder outreach to identify all potential alternatives. Terminal and landside connection plans were developed for four major strategic alternatives. Close consultation with regional rail, road, and maritime stakeholders focused on refining each alternative’s logistical and operational flows. Technical experts in cruise operations, park facilities, dry bulk cargo handling, deep tunneling, bridge construction, real estate valuation, airfield clearance, rail operations, oil terminals, navigation, and site remediation were engaged to resolve specific technical issues for each alternative. Conceptual cost estimates and benefits of each alternative were thoroughly explored. A viable solution for both berthing and inland transport issues was identified and is being implemented by the HPA. The paper will explore how the various available alternatives were identified, evaluated, and resolved into a workable port master plan (PMP) for Halifax.

Determining whether to repair and maintain or to replace some, or all, of an operating facility that generates revenue is challenging. Under annual pressure to minimize expenditures and maximize revenue, owners are tempted to apply lowest cost, least impact, band-aid solutions. Analysis may determine that this short-term approach is not the best one for the business considering the operational life of a facility. The method described in this paper was developed to assemble and analyse information to support solid decision making and to present the results in a manner that allows an owner to more clearly compare and evaluate options and, as a result, make optimal decisions given the particulars of their own business situation.

This paper summarizes recent experience in the application of discrete event simulation emulation software, and 3D visualization to evaluate and validate the performance of several highly advanced and automated container terminals. The combination of densified container stacking and advanced robotized container operations has created greater operational complexity, while at the same time creating opportunities to optimize processes and improve efficiencies. Using advanced discrete simulation during the planning of greenfield terminals or simulation for the optimization of existing terminals provides an agile approach that can be used to evaluate alternatives faster, in greater depth, and with higher confidence, compared to conventional methodologies. The simulations described in this paper were performed using an agile project approach, where multiple iterations were executed during the planning phase and eventually used in the holistic terminal evaluation and optimization and sensitivity simulation analyses to test and evaluate the robustness of the preferred terminal solution.

Dry Dock #3 (DD3) is one of two docks at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Kittery, Maine, that’s suitable for the servicing of the Virginia Class submarines. The shipyard’s primary mission, to overhaul and repair submarines, places the dock to be under continuous demand. Nearing 60 years of service, the dry dock required major rehabilitation to the entrance structures, and replacement of the caisson gate to assure continued operational capabilities well into the future. The challenge? How to rehabilitate the dry dock entrance structures and caisson gate without taking the dock out of service. The solution? A mini-cofferdam was designed that was large enough to allow a few workers to enter and complete the concrete removals and reconstruction, at 20-feet below the water surface. This type of structure, often referred to as a limpet, is common practice for ship repairs; however, it’s seldom used to repair waterfront infrastructure.

This paper presents a study carried out to first assess the impact of the Panama Canal expansion (PCE) on selected Caribbean ports, and thereafter, to examine how the ports can adapt in order to seize new opportunities created by the expansion. An applied case of long-term dynamic planning and flexibility in engineering design is presented for a new port terminal in Barranquilla, Colombia. Furthermore, this paper presents the results of a stochastic method for quantifying opportunities from containerized traffic using dynamic forecasting, real options analysis, and Monte Carlo simulation, within the framework and spirit of adaptive port planning under uncertainty.

Ports around the world are facing rapid market influences on the fundamental factors that have traditionally made them profitable. Both long and short-term trends in consumer demands, shipping trends, environmental restrictions, property values, stakeholder support, and governmental policy have driven many ports to diversify their business models to provide alternatives to the traditional supply-chain economics—many of which see the port as a real estate development partner or leaseholder. Identification of the drivers, opportunities, and constraints associated with these trends should provide ports, investors, planners, designers, and communities with a new awareness of the potential alternative revenue and benefit streams for their local port facilities. This paper examines why some ports have evolved away from their traditional cargo-related revenue streams towards real estate leasing and development. Opportunities, drivers, barriers, and constraints will be presented, as well as case studies from major ports on the East and West Coasts of the United States (U.S.).

Study efforts have focused on understanding the behavior of individual ports in the U.S. following episodic disruptions caused by hurricanes. Event driven timelines are analyzed and a method demonstrated for identifying the boundary between recovery and a return to normal operation. The role of ports within a waterway network is also explored through disruptive events with the goal of understanding the changing relative importance of in-network ports. The methods presented, relying on machine learning and big-data techniques provide a uniform, objective, scalable approach to gaging the level of port disruption and the rapidity with which services are restored. The presented methods benefit from the availability of a wide-scale datasource documenting vessel operations that can be applied at a variety of temporal and spatial scales, and is suitable for a variety of disruptive events for which ports must be prepared. Understanding the evolution of ports individually and in context with waterway network through event driven disruption timelines will ultimately inform resilience planning and recovery efforts for managers of ports and waterways.

This paper discusses design features and challenges associated with the rehabilitation of Berth 24-10 at the Port of San Diego, California. The rehabilitation goals were repair of the deteriorated elements of the wharf, restoration of vertical load-carrying capacity, and extension of the service life of the structure by 50 years. While a seismic retrofit was not part of the scope of this work because the original design was based on outdated seismic design principles, it was critical that rehabilitation measures did not inadvertently make the already seismically vulnerable structure worse. This paper will discuss design decisions that not only restored the berth to its original vertical load-carrying capacity, but also improved seismic performance characteristics of the structure. This paper will also discuss the design decisions that made it possible to construct a new fender wale system to accommodate existing fender piles of various cutoff elevations and allow for a planned future fender-pile replacement program.

Ports are complex, highly interconnected places. All the various terminals, support yards, and transportation elements depend on each other directly and indirectly. The Port of Long Beach is planning for its future with a broad, comprehensive, long-term land use study. The port wants to use a flexible land use model that can assess capacity and benefits and adapt to shifting commercial demands, while simultaneously evaluating wider port and regional goods movement impacts such as traffic congestion and air emissions. The port needs a model that allows their planning staff to consider multiple land use scenarios that reflect evolving commercial and development paradigms. An integrated land use model was developed for the port that combines land planning, capacity, and impact analyses into one platform, encompassing all port terminals and activities. This paper presents how the model met all port requirements and helped the port to characterize potential land use scenarios for its upcoming master plan update and programmatic environmental permit process.

As the reality of rising sea levels and increasing storm severity is presented to cities with growing populations, municipal planning departments feel increased pressure to implement long-term strategies that can address future threats to their constituents. In recent years New York City has taken significant steps in this direction by acknowledging the region’s natural features as assets with which contingency planning should embrace, rather than be considered as obstacles to be designed around. This paper will provide a background of the New York City ferry system, explain how it has played a vital role in the region’s resiliency planning, explain characteristics of new terminals which support responsiveness in emergencies, and present continued improvements that are being implemented through these systems.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) began a highway relocation project approximately 30 years ago which would begin a revitalization of the Providence waterfront. Historically, the downtown area in the city of Providence (Providence) was separated from Narragansett Bay (bay) and the Providence River by Interstates 95 and 195. Relocating the highways would not only ease traffic flow but would enable the city to provide access to the waterfront that was previously isolated, making undeveloped and underutilized land available. This paper examines the challenges and planning that are required for design of a successful multi-use waterfront facility while meeting sustainability goals in a constrained site. Through the utilization of thoughtful collaboration and unique landscaping, the new urban greenspace will create an effective urban and community interface supportive of multimodal transportation.

The Ports of Los Angeles (POLA) and Long Beach (POLB) create the largest port complex in the western hemisphere, and handled 16.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2017, which is about 2.5 times greater than the next largest port in the United States. Of these containers, about 25% move via the POLA-POLB rail system. By 2035, the San Pedro Bay Ports (POLA/POLB) are projected to handle approximately 40 million TEUs, which will strain this important freight transportation network. Over the last ten years, these ports have invested more than a billion dollars in transportation projects to reduce truck trips, roadway delays, and to optimize the flow of cargo. The POLA-POLB rail system encompasses 13 on-dock and support rail yards and the rail network that connects them to the transcontinental railroad system. The extents of the port rail system are from the wharf to 20 miles (32 km) inland, including the Alameda Corridor, which alone carries about 11 percent of all waterborne containers entering/exiting the U.S. Rail operations are performed by Pacific Harbor Line, BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, TTX (railcar inspection and repair), and terminal operators using International Longshore Union labor for cargo handling. To accommodate the expected growth in rail volumes for both exports and imports, a significant number of rail system improvements are needed. These improvements will encourage the transport of cargo by trains, thereby reducing truck-miles traveled and congestion on local and regional highways. The planning of the POLA-POLB rail system improvements is accomplished by the rail study commissioned by the POLB and POLA, and described in this paper. The rail planning for these ports has been ongoing for over 20 years, during which the worldwide economy, and the goods movement, rail, and port industries have transformed significantly.

As the offshore wind industry continues to develop and grow, the capabilities of established port facilities on the Pacific West Coast of the United States (U.S.) and the Hawaiian Islands need to be assessed as to their ability to support offshore wind farms. The Pacific Coast is more suitable to floating wind technology rather than platforms affixed to the seafloor, such as those found on the U.S. East Coast and Europe. Ports and harbors on the U.S. West Coast are typically not optimized to support offshore construction. Assembly and long-term maintenance are likely best suited for ports with a deep, sheltered harbor, no air draft restriction, significant upland area, and high-capacity wharves. The combination of these requirements may necessitate a network of ports be utilized rather than a single port.

This paper summarizes our recent experience in the use of discrete event simulation software to evaluate the performance of a multi-commodity and multi-modal port system located in Valparaiso, Chile. The project objective was to develop an effective tool to evaluate the port system, improve system efficiency, optimize resource utilization, and help decision makers prioritize projects in support of a growing local economy and population. Discrete event simulation models were developed to study port logistics systems and the dynamic interactions of their various components and cargo types as an integrated whole. The existing port system model was calibrated with the observed data, and then extended to study future planned improvements and determine the system capacity. The work demonstrated that a well-developed and calibrated simulation model can be a valuable tool to evaluate and optimize a complex port system and support making critical decisions.

This presentation discusses design build procurement, the different role plays of the port designer from that of traditional procurement, importance of appropriate owner requirements, contract form, and bid evaluation process. Design build allows the designers the opportunity to increase their skill set to design more cost efficiently, incorporate innovation, adopt alternative and safer build methods, and to meet tighter contractors’ schedules. Owner’s representatives need to have skills beyond those of traditional project managers, providing independent valued advice rather than a design centric response, to ensure that the owner’s requirements and budgets are being met and complied with. Risk identification, assessment, and valuation enables a contractor to provide a cost certain delivery. An exemplar case study project demonstrates faster, more efficient, and less costly delivery process while maintaining highest quality with minimal work changes. How to best achieve cost certain delivery, reduce owner risk, early partnering and comparison between traditional procurement, and DB procurement highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of both processes are also covered.

Commercial, ceremonial, and subsistence fishing is integral to the culture of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (MIT). Tribal ancestors fished the greater Puget Sound area for centuries. Today, the tribe supports this connection to their past in part through ownership of a single undersized fishing port along the Duwamish River in Seattle, Washington. This paper will explore the implementation of the design assist project delivery model to design and construct a port improvement project. The tribe utilized the design assist model to collaboratively develop a design and delivery strategy with engineers and the contractor that avoided impacts to fishing operations and maximized infrastructure improvements. This project had unique permitting considerations related to the port’s location within a migration corridor for endangered species, the Lower Duwamish Superfund Site, and that it is Tribal Trust property surrounded entirely by the city.

Effective staffing and consultant planning is key to the successful implementation of any capital improvement program. With project schedules frequently changing, a dynamic tool that can be easily developed, maintained, and updated will benefit owner agencies in determining and communicating needs to governing boards for decision making in the allocation of resources. This topic of discussion demonstrates how one owner agency faced with a common staffing planning problem, resulted in the development of a tool to make timely and effective staffing decisions. The tool incorporates standard scheduling practices into a software platform that is practically available in all organizations without additional technology investments. The discussion includes a case study on the utilization of the tool that allows the Construction Management Division of the Port of Long Beach to forecast and strategically assign staffing, and determine when peak staffing needs would require the additional support of consultants. The tool provides forecasts that allow consultant procurements to begin well in advance of the need. Lastly, the tool also provides reporting that addresses the need to effectively communicate staffing requirements to a governing Board of Harbor Commissioners. This tool can be easily adapted by other agencies or private organizations facing similar challenges.

In this paper we will review key factors to submitting successful federal grant applications. We will also provide information about major grant opportunities, their criteria, and key planning and approach features. We will review some case studies of success and failures and outline lessons learned from these experienced grant makers. This paper will answer the following questions: What is needed in the application and outside the application to get a port project approved for federal funding? What level of engineering is required for the applications? How do ports evaluate their chances for funding success? What projects are best for what type of grant? Do ports need to have a relationship with their elected officials? Do projects need other sources of funding? Is success for a federal grant application luck or merit based? Reviewing the history of successful projects and ports will educate the port engineers and the port community on best practices. Though new federal administrations will change the grant amounts and the grant names and some of the review criteria, the fundamental process for grant approval does not change. There are ports that have never tried to go after federal funds and ports that have failed in their application. This paper will help both of these categories with more success. This paper will provide a list of key factors for success for any grant application. Ports who know and use this advice will be successful in their application for federal funding.

This paper presents a methodology to analyze waterfront structures using a 3-dimensional nonlinear static (pushover) analysis to capture the torsional response caused by the eccentricity between the center of mass, and, the centers of stiffness and strength. Waterfront structures often exhibit torsional responses under seismic loading due to the mass and stiffness eccentricity caused by the sloping ground between the nearshore and offshore ends of the structure. The torsional response is further intensified when the structure exhibits an irregular geometric configuration. Typical practice is to analyze these structures using an elastic modal response spectrum analysis, which relies on the equal displacement assumption, that states the inelastic displacement demands can be approximated using an elastic analysis. This assumption may or may not be accurate depending on the extent of nonlinearity in the structure, and the method used for equivalent linearization. The proposed 3-dimensional nonlinear static pushover analysis methodology accounts for the varying eccentricity with displacement demand as yielding of the structure and soil occurs and provides a more direct analysis based on the well accepted nonlinear static methodology. The methodology will be presented as a case study based on marine loading platform analysis and design for the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Bunkering Facility located in Commencement Bay on the Blair-Hylebos peninsula in Tacoma, Washington.

In the fender design process, safety factors can be applied at several levels, starting with selection of berthing velocities for fender selection, manufacturer’s tolerance in performance data, factors to account for abnormal berthing scenarios, to use of load factors in design of the supporting structures. It is important that all these factors are considered together as a whole to ensure both that enough residual capacity is built into the system, but also to avoid designs that are overly conservative. This paper will examine the reliability concepts and equations presented in ASCE 7 necessary to arrive at a proper combination of fender capacities, loads, and load factors for use in selection of fenders and design of the supporting structures in the U.S.

On September 22, 2014, a fire broke out at the southeast corner of Berth 177. The fire and fire extinguishing efforts resulted in the removal of the timber wharf deck and framing at Berths 176–177, rendering them unusable for cargo operations and requiring temporary relocation of the tenant. Originally constructed in 1920s/1930s and rehabilitated throughout the years, the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) initially intended to restore the wharf to its pre-fire damage load carrying and berthing capacities. However, after further analysis, it was determined that it would be more practical to demolish the existing wharf and construct a higher capacity wharf that will provide more utility to the tenant. The POLA considered several design options, including replacing the structure in kind (all timber), utilizing a mix of timber and concrete, or replacing the structure entirely with concrete. The challenges faced in rehabilitating an old wharf and constructing a new wharf with differing structural elements are presented herein.

This paper presents an overview of the new Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Group document for design of marine structures associated with liquified natural gas (LNG) facilities, Design Requirements for Marine Structures Associated with LNG Facilities (DRMS) (EXP 276.1-2015). The CSA Group has a well-known reference for LNG facilities in Canada entitled CSA Z276 Liquified Natural Gas—Production, Storage, and Handling. However, the document provides minimal guidance for LNG marine terminals. An effort was started by the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC) to fill in the gaps and develop standards for the marine structures associated with LNG facilities. The document is a result of team effort by several Canadian and U.S. engineers representing various governmental agencies and consulting firms. The document addresses the structural, mooring, and berthing requirements of fixed marine structures. In addition, this new document includes specific structural requirements, with reference to Canadian, European, and American codes, metocean and seismic criteria, pipelines, geotechnical recommendations, and the tsunami potential. The document is currently used by BCOGC in British Columbia and has wide applicability outside of Canada.

Seaports are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their coastal location. With the potential threat of up to 2.5 m in sea level rise by 2100, resilient port infrastructure is vital for the continued operation of ports. Engineers play a pivotal role in improving the resilience of ports, as they are responsible for designing port infrastructure that will be adequately prepared for future sea level change (SLC). However, incorporating SLC into the design specifications of port infrastructure projects is a challenging task due to the uncertainty of SLC projections, the long service lives of port infrastructure, and the differing guidelines and recommendations for managing SLC. Through an online survey of 85 U.S. port and marine infrastructure engineers, this research explores the engineering community’s attitude and approach to planning for SLC for large-scale maritime infrastructure projects. Survey findings highlight the extent that projects incorporate SLC, the wide range of factors that drive the inclusion of SLC, and the numerous barriers that prevent engineers from incorporating SLC into design. This research emphasizes that traditional engineering practices may no longer be appropriate for dealing with climate change design variables and their associated uncertainties. Furthermore, results call for collaboration among engineers, port authorities, and policy makers to develop design standards and practical design methods for designing resilient port infrastructure.

Development of a port complex involves a large amount of capital investment, which is directly related to the port infrastructure and cargo handling equipment. To reduce the risk on investment, developing a model to simulate actual activities is a fast and cost-effective tool. In this study, three different types of crude oil transfer operations and their combination were analyzed using discrete event simulation so that the project-specific key performance indicators can be evaluated. Whilst each transfer operation is widely practiced on its own, a combination of the three types has not been performed to date. Results of this study allowed the project stakeholders to identify the benefits and disadvantages of investing in different types of infrastructure, as well as identifying the port’s competitiveness with other port facilities in the region. In addition, conducting the Monte Carlo simulations allows the project stakeholders to plan with a high degree of certainty regarding their specific interests.

Vessel propeller wash has been shown to cause scour in the marine environment. We investigated the hydrodynamic causes of severe erosion at the Washington State Ferries ferry terminal in Kingston, WA, where a cliff-like bathymetric feature has shifted shoreward in recent years, forcing repairs on the slip’s bridge pilings. High resolution measurements of velocity and estimates of turbulent bed stress were made during vessel arrivals and departures during two deployment periods in March and April 2018. Calculated bed stresses were found to be 100 times larger during vessel arrivals and departures than background levels. Bed stresses were higher during vessel departures than arrivals, corresponding to higher vessel acceleration during departures. Additionally, during departures, lower tidal stages correspond to higher bed stresses, because the propellers are closer to the seabed. During arrivals, larger vessels generated higher bed stresses.

The Port of Alaska is modernizing its facilities through the Port of Alaska Modernization Program (PAMP). An initial step in the program was implementation of a test pile project (TPP), which involved installation of ten 200-foot long by 48-inch diameter, 1-inch wall, steel pipe piles. The TPP replicated the concept pile design and marine permit conditions. The project included (1) monitoring response of each pile during initial installation and 13 to 38 days after initial pile installation with a pile driving analyzer (PDA) and (2) evaluating the performance of two types of underwater noise attenuation systems (NAS). Key observations from the TPP included doubling of pile capacity for the setup periods, the absence of soil-plug formation during initial driving and restrike, and appreciable decreases in underwater noise from the use of the NAS. This paper summarizes background for and results of the test pile project.

In 2014 the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) implemented a project to replace failure-prone timber pile cluster dolphins at the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry (JSF) with a system better suited to resist impacts from increasingly larger ferry vessels. After an initial study, large diameter fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) monopiles were selected as replacement dolphins. While this application of large diameter FRP piles was largely unproven in practice, it was selected for its combination of strength, flexibility, resistance to corrosion, and low life-cycle cost. The initial JSF dolphin study was described to the 2016 PORTS conference in McCarty et al. (2016) A Case Study and Recommendation for Large Diameter FRP Monopile Dolphin Systems. This paper revisits the system after conclusion of two construction contracts to install the FRP dolphins. Pile driving difficulties and successes from both installation contracts are discussed. Engineers working on designs with large diameter FRP piles will benefit from the information provided.

In response to a recognized need for international guidelines for the design of marine oil and gas terminals, PIANC Report 153-2016 was published in 2016. The new report, Recommendations for the Design and Assessment of Marine Oil and Petrochemical Terminals, provides guidance for both design and assessment of marine terminals handling oil, products, and liquid petrochemicals. This is the first comprehensive global guideline focused on the design of such terminals. The document published in 2016 specifically excluded liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals as well as single point moorings (SPMs) and multi-buoy moorings (MBMs) from the scope of the document. However, the working group is currently working on an update to the document to incorporate provisions for each of these terminal types. The very nature of the marine oil and petrochemical trade is global, yet terminal design and maintenance requirements are inconsistent across international boundaries. This has led to conflicts, inconsistencies, and potential safety concerns, which is particularly evident amongst the operators with global operations. Reaching a global consensus on such technical guidelines was challenging but the goal was accomplished.

Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT), an ICTSI company, is undertaking the expansion of its container terminal at Umm Qasr, Iraq, to increase throughput and accommodate larger vessels. The expansion includes construction of a 1,000-foot (300-meter) extension (Berths 25/26) of an existing marginal wharf (Berth 27), designed to serve super-post-Panamax vessels and new high- capacity ship-to-shore (STS) cranes with a target design working life of 50 years. Associated with the marginal wharf extension is the evaluation of the existing 680-foot-long (208 meters) Berth 27 marginal wharf to support the new STS cranes with wheel loads up to 65 percent higher than the existing STS cranes. Because of challenging site conditions—up to 40 feet (12.2 meters) of soft to very stiff clay stratum underlain by medium to very dense sand layers with high calcium carbonate content and limited marine construction capabilities of local contractors— construction of the marginal wharf extension (Berths 25/26) called for the implementation of a contractor-friendly structural solution to enable the achievement of target pile capacities and penetration for lateral stiffness to allow early dredging of the slope and berthing pocket and to expedite wharf construction. The paper describes the most relevant features of the Berth 25/26 wharf extension design for vertical and lateral loads, including slope stability analyses, and elaborates on how the top-down construction system was deployed and implemented and how the concrete deck was constructed. It also summarizes the different analytical techniques that were adopted to reduce costly upgrades of the existing Berth 27 wharf.

This paper presents a summary of structural design challenges experienced, and resolved, during the construction of a train unloading station (TUS) at a key coal export terminal in Colombia. The TUS is a U-shaped underground cast-in-place concrete box structure, with a base slab and sidewalls supporting a series of transverse rail support girders. Due to unforeseen design changes and discoveries during construction, the original design of the TUS was deemed structurally inadequate to resist extremely high buoyant and hydrostatic design loads. By the time, these critical design changes were realized, the construction of the TUS was about 50% complete. To retrofit the partially built TUS structure, a simplified design method was developed utilizing materials which were locally available and implementing a simple solution which could be successfully executed with less expertise. The retrofit measures were successfully implemented, and the construction of the TUS was completed on time. The train unloading station continues to operate successfully.

The opening of the new, third lane for the Panama Canal presented PSA Panama International Terminal (PPIT) with the opportunity to expand their single berth facility at the former Rodman Naval Base at the Pacific entrance to the canal. The new facilities are designed for neo-Panamax ships and the projected increase in container volume in the region. The expansion was procured under five major civil works contracts: design-build for the berths and electrical system; owner’s design for the container yard, dredging, buildings. The container handling equipment [quay cranes, rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs), yard tractors, and trailers] were procured under separate contracts to the owner’s detailed specifications. The complex and varied geology provided unique challenges to the design and development of marine and landside facilities. Blasting, dry excavation, and cutter suction dredging were required to create the marine side facilities. Extensive ground improvements and an innovation pavement design were implemented for the high-density container yard. The terminal was designed for a mix of container handling equipment consisting of RMGs, rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs), plus side and top picks. Other improvements included advanced information technology (IT) services and multiple redundancies to allow the facility to operate seamlessly and continuously, with capacity for future remote operations and automation. This terminal sets new standards for modern container terminals in Panama and the region.

The Canaveral Port Authority is constructing the rebuild of Cruise Terminal 3 (CT3) Berth to accommodate the increasing size of ultra-large cruise vessels. The original CT3 was constructed in 1983 where the design vessel had a length overall (LOA) of 198 m (650 feet). The design vessel for the rebuild project has a LOA of 400 m (1,312 feet) which is the estimated length of the planned stretched Oasis Class. The original CT3 berth was an open pile wharf with a shallow bulkhead wall. The prestressed concrete deck was designed for only 250 PSF (1,221 kgs/m²), as mobile passenger gangways had yet to be developed. Consequently, for today’s cruise terminals the open pile wharf was functionally obsolete and would need to be transformed into a more robust wharf that could handle the larger vessels and the heavy wheel loads from mobile passenger gangways. This paper will focus on the the design vessel loading on the wharf from berthing, mooring, and passing ship effects; how the mobile passenger gangway geometry and its connection between the vessel and the terminal must be considered early in the design; operations unique to cruise vessels that must be accommodated on the wharf apron and how this influences the layout and the positioning of the mooring fixtures; the wharf design option that used an open pile wharf with an intermediate depth bulkhead wall, and why the deep combi-wall bulkhead with pipe pile A-frame tie-back system was selected; and geotechnical challenges that required innovations such as the use of light weight fill to reduce wall loads and the need to use articulated tie-back rods to accommodate long term settlement. And finally, this paper will describe some of the challenges faced during the construction to date of the berth that was performed on a site that required extensive marine and landside demolition activities, and was shared with the simultaneous construction of the terminal building and other upland facilities.

The Port of Hueneme, located in California between the Ports of Los Angeles and San Francisco, is undergoing a wharf strengthening and deepening project at Berths 1 and 2 for their 1970s era break bulk wharf. The objective of the project is to expand the port’s ability to handle additional cargo with the same number of vessel calls, or fewer vessel calls, and to reduce the wait times of heavy-loaded Champion class tankers that must otherwise wait for high tides to enter the port. The wharf will be strengthened to restore the original capacity of the wharf and provide deepening from -35 ft (MLLW) to -40 ft (MLLW) through the installation of a steel sheet pile wall and dredging; and the mooring and fendering systems will be upgraded to accommodate the larger vessels. This paper will provide a project overview of the upgrade and deepening project and the phasing of such a project for construction and the challenges associated with keeping the tenants operational while construction is progressing.

This paper describes the reconstruction of an approximately 1,000-foot-long (305 meters) bulk-handling quay wall at the Brighton Port in La Brea for the National Energy Corporation (NEC) of Trinidad and Tobago. The quay wall was designed to service Panamax vessels, barges, and tankers, and provide a dedicated heavy loading area for transferring up to 5,000 tons of topside platforms and supporting heavy-duty crawler crane operations. Reconstruction of the original cellular sheet pile quay was necessitated by the significantly deteriorated structure, which affected efficient operations. To minimize dredging and interfacing with a host of existing deteriorated structures, the face of the reconstructed quay wall was set at about 6 feet (1.8 meters) offshore from the original berth face. The reconstructed quay wall provided a successful discharge of Juniper in January 2017 and became operational in mid-2017 providing NEC with a modern and versatile bulk-handling berth designed to the latest marine standards.

Pile moored floats, such as floats for ferry terminals, ferry maintenance facilities, and other floating waterfront structures, often rely on long vertical piling to provide lateral support while allowing the floating structures to move up and down with changing water levels. These structures are often considered seismically isolated due to water resistance and are often designed without seismic evaluation. Simplified spreadsheet time history analyses were made to analyze the seismic response of several pile moored floats designed for the San Francisco Bay Area. The analyses show that water resistance does not significantly reduce float response, such that seismic evaluation of these structures is recommended for high seismic regions, particularly if the float is sheltered and storm loading conditions are not severe.

There is a trend in larger vessels calling at ports worldwide. Larger ships are more cost effective for ocean carriers and reduce impact on the environment by decreasing diesel consumption, resulting in ever increasing vessel size. Increases in vessel size have resulted in new challenges for existing port facilities, including the need for upgrades and new designs. As the industry navigates the “Big Ship Era,” the Port of Long Beach (POLB) is one of the few U.S. ports that can welcome today’s largest vessels and be able to accommodate even larger, next-generation vessels. This paper provides an overall review of the mooring and berthing studies and engineering design required to achieve big ship ready status at the POLB. In addition, this paper presents the challenges and solutions in preparing the POLB for today’s vessels, as well as for the next generation of vessels to come.

The U.S. Navy is undertaking the design and construction of a super flood basin at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Kittery, Maine. The super flood basin is a 3.5 acre basin in front of an existing dry dock that artificially raises the natural river water level. Originally constructed for World War II era submarines, the floor of the Dry Dock 1 is too shallow for current operational requirements. Presently, the shipyard provides artificial ballast and is tidally restricted to less than a handful of days per month for docking and undocking evolutions at Dry Dock 1. For numerous reasons, these operations were not sustainable in the long term and the team considered many alternatives to address the challenge. This paper steps through the project including development of concepts, identification of design constraints, and design challenges. The current schedule has this project nearing completion by summer 2021.

Mathematical programming could help improve the operability of container-vessel oriented ports in terms of coupling the management of vessel berth allocation and container yard allocation under various realistic constraints. In this paper, a time-window based MINLP (mixed-integer nonlinear programming) model has been developed for the simultaneous planning of berth and yard allocation problems at container-vessel oriented ports. It can simultaneously optimize the spatial berthing schedule of each vessel as well as container transshipment schedule at the port yard, so as to minimize the overall port operating cost subject to various port resource limits and operating constraints. A detailed case study has also been utilized to demonstrate the efficacy of the developed model.

Continuous growth in international waterborne trade requires that global container handling operations become faster and more efficient. In response to this requirement, an increasing number of terminal operators have chosen to move from conventional to automated container handling systems. Automated systems have proven to be more efficient, reliable, and faster than their conventional counterpart. In moving to automated container handling systems, engineers realize that automated operations and equipment have unique infrastructure requirements that must be addressed during the design phase of terminal development. Communication between the terminal operator and infrastructure designer from the early stage of terminal design is critical for optimal terminal performance and to avoid costly changes in the future. This paper addresses critical interface elements between infrastructure design and automated operations.