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Sunday, June 20, 2010 |
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Berth 208 - a multidisciplinary marine project
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Source: Leigh Dressing
The construction of the new Liquid Chemical Berth 208 for Transnet Capital Projects (TCP) is proving to be an unforgettable endeavor for all involved. As a multi-disciplinary operation and the fact that most of the tasks were marine-based, the team had huge learning curves to overcome.
The most crucial part of the whole construction process was the beam placement, during which 72 beams weighing between 65t – 75t, were positioned to straddle adjacent pile caps. These beams were loaded with the aid of a 300t Kabelco crane onto a truck & transported from the precast yard to the quayside. Here a 250t Lima crane loaded them onto a specially modified lifting pontoon, the Nyathi, which was designed for the operation. Once rigged, the barge with beam was guided into position by a tug together with an array of guide ropes which facilitated the accurate positioning of the beam itself onto the pile caps. This activity required careful planning in order to optimise safe work conditions. Beams could not be placed if the wind speed exceeded 40km/hr, if wave heights exceeded 0.5m and/or if tidal heights weren’t within a specific window. Another great danger was the wakes caused by passing Port tugs – which could have easily resulted in the load being snatched causing catastrophic damage to marine equipment. This was eliminated by constant communication between ourselves, and Port Control and no serious incidents were recorded.
The Transnet team, spear-headed by Johan Momberg played an integral part in day-to-day planning. “We created a
formidable team on this project,” says Leigh. “Our rapport with client TCP was also instrumental in the project progressing successfully.”
The estimated completion date is July 2010.
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