Port Elizabeth - Wharf Improvements - phase one

Upgrading the Port Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New Jersey to handle ship and container traffic of the future called for increased water depths, larger crane loads, increased berthing and mooring loads, and seismic loading capability.

That translated into a big job-massive dredging, power supply upgrades, installation of new piles and cranes, and fully replacing the fender system. And that was the first of five phases to overhaul the 30-year-old wharf operated by APM Terminals North America Inc., which leases it from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The major goal was to equip the wharf with cranes handling the latest generation of Super Post-Panamax containers, to provide approximately 1,000 ft. of berth for the corresponding container vessels and to allow for a future dredge depth of -50+2 ft.

Phase one of the project, which cost $15.8 million, was completed in a year.

The design's heart was installing a king pile cutoff wall along the wharf surface to permit deeper dredging for upgrades to accommodate future increases in container vessel and crane capacities.

After evaluating and assessing the wharf's stability under both static and seismic loading conditions, the project team chose an anchored king pile system along the face of the wharf as the most cost effective solution. This involved installing new pipe piles to support the waterside crane rail and a combination of existing and new H piles to support the landside crane rail.

The choice also allowed for a shorter construction timetable than complete demolition and replacement of the wharf. The design's H-Z wall system took advantage of limited rock obstruction in the embedment-avoiding an expensive pipe-Z wall system.

The jury appreciated the design's complexity, saying, "This project was like trying to resole shoes while someone was still wearing them. It's extremely complex. For example, they put a pile system inside an existing pile system."

The pile design also preserved a fish habitat-and access for inspection and maintenance under the wharf-by cutting intermediate (Z-shaped) sheet piles before the deck, above the existing mudline. Since the king piles transfer the entire load to the deck, there is room beneath the existing wharf for fish to migrate.

Another major facet was installing a new fender system to absorb the energy from 152,000-metric ton container vessels as well as barges. The new system uses discrete resilient rubber fender units on the nonbarge portion and a steel panel system linked by hinges, with timber facing, at the barge berth.

It is more flexible than standard fender systems, which aren't suited to harder-to-steer barges that are more likely to hit fenders.

Upgrading and expanding the power substation-including replacing and adding transformers-was also a critical phase-one element, especially for meeting future crane installation needs. By project's end, 16 cranes will be in place, requiring a doubling of substation capacity and a new sitewide distribution system.

The project also involved upgrading tie rods to resist higher mooring loads, cutting a new cable trench along the wharf to supply electric power to the cranes and upgrades to the paving and drainage systems.