Oil terminal berths reach half way point

ALAN PEAT TWO NEW berths for the Island View oil terminal in the Port of Durban have reached half-way point in the construction programme, according to Transnet Projects construction contracts manager, Rodney Atkins. The old structures of Berths 5 and 6 – the “Dolphin Berths” – at Island View were due for replacement, having reached the end of their serviceable life, he told FTW, and also had to be deepened. The new Berth 6 is due to be finished in March next year, and, following a recommissioning and decommissioning procedure by the oil companies, the construction of the new Berth 5 will start about 12-months later. It’s a pretty extensive reconstruction project, according to Atkins, starting with partial demolition of the existing berths then the installation of new cantilevering sheet piles below water level. There is the dredging and profiling of the berth to increase the depth from 10.9-metres to 13.0-m. Atkins said this project had been a major challenge. “Working in a marine environment is new to some of us. The experience gained in dealing with unfavourable tides, blockages to the cutter suction, and breakdowns to the piling rig, has stood us in good stead for the second phase, Berth 5.”