The reconstruction of Berth 10 has won the Management of Engineering award at the 2010 WA Engineering Excellence Awards held by Engineers Australia in Perth on 18 September.
The berth, previously unsuitable for container shipping, now provides an additional 180 metres of operational wharf space for the port’s container trade.
The 12-month project was completed in May this year.
The reconstruction of the 52-year-old Berth 10 presented a particular challenge – constructing a new wharf deck while at the same time deconstructing the old structure.
Although the design was relatively simple, construction was complex because of the constrained site, access issues, working over or near water, coordinating multiple activities for piling, above ground and underwater concrete cutting, concrete removal, precast installation and on-site concreting.
A detailed cutting pattern was used to demolish the old structure. This maximised remnant deck space to support construction loads and activities. This approach enhanced worker safety by reducing the work required under the wharf and eliminated the need to use marine plant for piling and lifting operations, thus avoiding adverse impact on port operations.
All 455 precast components for the new berth were manufactured nearby in North Fremantle.
Traffic management ensured each unit, some weighing up to 30 tonnes, was safely transported to the berth across busy Tydeman Road.
Fremantle Ports CEO Chris Leatt-Hayter said the successful and safe delivery of the Berth 10 project was a credit to hard work and planning by Fremantle Ports and construction contractor Thiess Georgiou Joint Venture.
Berth 10 received its first container ship, Safmarine Meru, on 1 July 2010.
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Source: fremantleports, October 12, 2010;