Steel Sheet Piling in Liquefiable Soils in Maasvlakte, Rotterdam-Paper

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The paper describes the design and construction of a 285 m-long anchored steel sheet-pile wall for a jetty at the Neste Oil plant in Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte. The reclaimed peninsula consists largely of saturated Holocene sands, which were considered susceptible to vibration-induced liquefaction and lateral spreading. The wall and dredging works were close to existing or partially constructed plant facilities, creating potential risks of ground movement and structural damage.<br /><br />The design team increased the separation between the wall and nearby installations from about 6.5 m to 16 m where possible, and built a temporary dam to support construction equipment while keeping the slope as gentle as practicable. Because reliable settlement predictions could not be completed within the project’s time constraints, a trial sheet-piling area was used to assess drivability, vibrations, pore pressures, and ground movement. Trial results showed slope disturbance, elevated vibration levels, increased pore pressure, and measurable inclinations. The resulting installation method used a vibrator initially, switching to reduced-energy hammering at approximately 7 m depth.<br /><br />An active monitoring system was then implemented, combining piezometers, geophones, inclinometers, survey prisms, and crack-displacement sensors on nearby structures. Thresholds and a decision process guided whether to continue, pause, or change the installation method. Monitoring data were reviewed throughout construction, with particular attention to pore pressure and the condition of adjacent facilities.<br /><br />The works were completed safely. Although some thresholds were occasionally exceeded in harder sand and minor slope cracks appeared, coordinated review of vibration, pore-pressure, and structural monitoring confirmed that impacts on nearby buildings and plant installations remained acceptable. The case demonstrates how trial testing, risk-based construction procedures, and real-time monitoring can enable sheet piling in liquefiable soils near sensitive structures.

Keywords

anchored steel sheet-pile wall

jetty construction

liquefaction risk

saturated Holocene sands

vibration monitoring

pore pressure

lateral spreading

trial sheet piling

construction monitoring

Maasvlakte Rotterdam