The thirty year old wharf structures at the Port Authority of New York & New
Jersey’s Port Elizabeth Marine Terminal are being modernized for the next
generation of Post-Panamax container ships, which require deeper water and
larger container cranes. The terminal operator is upgrading the wharf in order to
remain competitive, now and into the future. The upgrade coincides with the
Army Corps of Engineers’ $733 million project to deepen the main shipping
channel in New York Harbor.
This paper focuses on the structural modifications to accommodate berth
deepening and to support the heavier loads of the new cranes. An overview is
provided of the design and actual construction, including typical problems
encountered when combining new and existing structures. The wharf
improvements included:
• Installation of a steel king pile/sheet pile cutoff wall along the face of the
wharf to permit increasing the depth from –12.2 m + 0.61 m to –15.2 m +
0.61 m ( –40 ft + 2 ft to –50 ft + 2 ft)
• Removal of the existing crane rail support beams and installation of new piles
and beams to support the increased crane loads
• Replacement of the existing timber fender system with a new system capable
of resisting the berthing energy of a 152, 000 MT displacement vessel, and
having dedicated sections for berthing barges
• Replacing the existing overhead, landside crane electric feeder system with a
waterside, cable reel trench system. The work included upgrading the
transformer capacity at the terminal for increased crane power demands
This paper provides a case history for port administrators, terminal operators,
engineers, and shipping lines challenged with upgrading aging terminals.
Author: Bill Paparis & Michael Quadagno, Han-Padron Associates, LLP, Guy Buzzoni & James McQueen, APM Terminals N. America, Inc. and John Lizzo, Port Authority of NY & NJ
Publisher: DFI