Review of Construction of Marine and Offshore Structures by Ben C. Gerwick Jr.: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, Fla.; 2007; Hard cover, 813 pp. Price: $130.

This is one of the most definitive references available on marine construction. This comprehensive book covers all major aspects of the construction process for a variety of waterborne structures, including marine, offshore, coastal, riverine, and arctic engineering structures. The late Professor Gerwick has substantially revised the previous edition of his Construction of Marine and Offshore Structures book by extensively augmenting this third edition to include recent developments in these rapidly expanding engineering fields. With the added chapters and improvements, the third edition becomes a necessary reference book for all marine and civil engineers and corporations involved in planning, building, and maintaining structures in water environments.

This book is an authoritative guide because it addresses many aspects of the current state of practice in easily understandable style, presenting the most comprehensive treatment of the construction process for marine and offshore structures. The author starts with design factors and planning considerations and describes many issues affecting the building of different types of structures in a marine environment. In addition, the book includes chapters on construction and maintenance of coastal and inland waterway structures and pays special attention to recent advances for ice-resistant structures, dams and locks, and bridge foundations. A number of the latest developments in materials and techniques are also described in this new edition that should be of great interest to engineers in the oil and service industries, as well as marine construction planners, designers, and contractors.

To retain the volume’s standing as a complete authoritative resource, the author has incorporated into this edition many changes related to techniques, tools, and materials that have found their way into marine and offshore engineering practice. Topics with expanded coverage include construction equipment, marine operations, steel and concrete offshore platforms, cables and flexible or rigid pipelines and risers, tubes (tunnels), walls, piles, rubble-mound breakwaters, precast armor units in coasts, repairs and strengthening existing structures, and removal and salvage. The author also provides new information on novel technologies, methods, materials, liquefaction of loose sediments, scour and erosion, ultra-high-performance concrete, H-piles and high-performance steel, cracking and corrosion, and construction in remote areas. He presents an interesting insight to archaeological concerns and damage from sabotage and terrorism, since these are important elements of the construction process. For marine construction planners, designers, contractors, ocean, coastal, and marine engineers involved in constructing waterborne structures, this book describes effective implementation of the particulars of concepts for planning, design, repair, and rehabilitation of marine and offshore structures. Examples from existing marine, civil, and structural projects are given for their economical and reliable translation into practice.

The third edition consists of 23 chapters, which are as follows

Chapters 1–6 provide specific information, detailed background, and practical guidance for each subject. Chapters 7–23 deal with special topics, where the author describes the status of current knowledge, technology, and methods most commonly used in existing practice. My interest was in Chapters 9, 10, 19, and 23, which are fun to read and contain up-to-date information and useful engineering data. These chapters provide a detailed treatment of construction and good guidance for engineering studies dealing with harbor, river, estuary, coastal, and arctic structures, as well as new information on constructability and ways of strengthening existing structures. Each chapter of the book includes a comprehensive treatment of the current state of engineering practice. Perhaps it would have been helpful if a few worked examples were used in each chapter for illustrating engineering principles, methods, and recommended practice. I have used and was rather familiar with two previous editions of this book; however, while perusing this third edition, I was still overwhelmed and humbled by the author’s in-depth technical knowledge about so many different types of marine and offshore structures.

The entire book is very well written by a master teacher with his own unique style of presenting complex issues clearly, describing tested and proven techniques that are necessary for achieving satisfactory execution in maritime construction. With the wealth of information provided, this book is a unique source of useful data and procedures for all ocean, coastal, and river project engineers, planners, schedulers, construction supervisors, and project managers. It is an excellent reference book for researchers, students, and professors who are interested in the construction and maintenance of offshore, marine, and coastal structures. In closing, I highly recommend this book to naval architects, as well as marine, coastal and civil engineers.