BergerWorld: 3rd Quarter 2007

In the early 1990s, Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd. (KCBL) was retained by the Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) to design berths 1 and 2, as well as additional landside terminal works, at the Deltaport Container Terminal in Vancouver, Canada. Located at Roberts Bank, 35 kilometers south of Vancouver's inner harbor, Deltaport is the Port of Vancouver's largest container terminal. Because container traffic to the West Coast of North America is expected to triple by the year 2020, VPA has launched the $170 million Deltaport Berth 3 Extension Project and commissioned KCBL to provide detailed engineering and contract administration for the project.

KCBL's Berth 3 design comprised the marine components for a 430-meter extension of the existing 670-meter-long Deltaport Wharf, including significant dredging and reclamation works, a new tug basin and environmental habitat compensation works along the approach causeway. The extended wharf was designed to accept container ships of up to 12,000 TEUs, serviced by 10 state-of-the-art gantry cranes. The extension design is based around 10

43-meter-long, slip-formed precast concrete caissons. Because of adverse soil conditions, the caissons are founded on a 14-meter, imported rock mattress, improved by underwater vibro-densification to assure foundation strength. After being floated into place, the precast caissons were ballasted and backfilled with berm rock and general fill, and subsequently vibro-densified to enhance seismic stability and minimize apron settlements. In addition to the geotechnical and structural designs, KCBL designed the berth's fendering and mooring system, cope walls, crane rails, apron utilities, paving and scour protection.

The construction of the Deltaport Berth 3 extension began in early 2007, with perimeter dike formation and dredging for reclamation fills as the priority tasks. Dredging is being carried out with a specially adapted suction dredge to a 35-meter depth. The wharf is expected to be completed in September 2009, increasing capacity at Deltaport from 900,000 TEUs a year to 1.3 million TEUs. KCBL contract administration, construction inspection and engineering support services will continue throughout the duration of the project.