Implementing repairs and resiliency in the wake of natural disasters

South Riding Point - Berth 2 Repair

As a result of Hurricane Matthew’s devastation near Grand Bahamas Island, we were hired to design replacement mooring infrastructure (specifically, breasting dolphins) and access catwalks for structures that were lost or damaged.

The new breasting dolphins are in water depths of up to 30 metres (100 feet) and are designed to accommodate tankers up to Aframax (120,000 deadweight tonnage) and Suezmax (190,000 deadweight tonnage) classes. The foundations consist of large diameter pipe piles, which are socketed and grouted into pre-bored holes drilled into the seafloor bedrock. This allows the breasting dolphins to act as cantilevered structures, partially absorbing vessel impact energy through pile/structure deflection and partially through compression of rubber fenders attached to the dolphins.

The structures are unique as the use of large-displacement cantilevered dolphins for this depth and vessel class is unconventional. Our team prepared and issued full construction drawings, specifications, material take-offs, calculations, design reports, risk assessments, constructability reports, and cost estimates.

The final design and procurement, facilitated by Stantec, were conducted under a very tight schedule to allow construction to be completed prior to the 2018 hurricane season. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian, a category five storm with winds up to 200 miles per hour (322 kilometres per hour) stalled on top of the facility for 36 hours. The next day? No damage was reported to the marine structures.