EXCLUSIVE: The world’s largest port reclamation project wraps up

DL E&C said that they have completed the Singapore Tuas Terminal 1 sea landfill construction.

Singapore is currently working on the Tuas Terminal project to create the world’s largest port.

When all four phases of the project are completed by 2040, it will be reborn as a super-large new port capable of handling 65 million TEUs (TEU: one 20-foot container) per year.

The Singapore government plans to create a world-class smart megaport by relocating existing port facilities and functions to Tuas Port and introducing various next-generation port technologies, including an unmanned automation operating system.

DL E&C signed a contract with the Singapore Port Authority in April 2015.

The total construction cost is KRW 1.98 trillion, and the project was won together with Dredging International (DEME Group), a Belgian company specializing in dredging.

DL E&C was in charge of the construction of the pier facilities, including the landfill ground improvement, caisson production and installation for the harbor.

Due to Singapore’s geographical characteristics, most construction materials can be procured through imports from neighboring countries, so material costs are high.

In particular, the Tuas Port project required a huge amount of rubble stones and sand as it involved a huge offshore reclamation project that was 1.5 times larger than Yeouido, and high costs were expected.

DL E&C received high praise from the client for its eco-friendly design that minimizes the use of rubble and sand from the order stage.

In order to minimize the use of sand, the dredged soil generated in the process of dredging the seabed was used as much as possible for landfill.

From the time of design, the latest soil theory was studied and safety was thoroughly reviewed, and about 64 million cubic meters of sand was saved compared to the general reclamation method.

This is about 1/8 the size of Namsan Mountain in Seoul (about 50 million m3).

In addition, an innovative construction method was applied to replace the rubble stones with a concrete structure instead of the general scour prevention design that places large rubble stones on the seabed.