In 2008, The Port of Sept-Îles decided to build a new wharf for the cruise ships travelling along the St-Lawrence River. The Quai des Croisières allows large ships to dock directly at the Port of Sept-Îles, right downtown, enabling tourists to visit the region. The Quai des Croisières dock is situated at Mgr. Blanche wharf, which serves commercial ships travelling in the region.
Pomerleau Inc. Was awarded the contract from the Port of Sept-Îles in July 2009. The dock was functional on September 30, 2010, in time to welcome its first cruise ship on October 4. This project is to be partially completed in October 2010 to receive its first cruise ship. The project was completed on October 30, 2010, two months earlier than the completion date set out in the initial contract.
The cruise ship wharf, made up of a main dock and three mooring dolphins, is more than 310 metres long and can accommodate large cruise ships. The various elements are linked by metal gangways to the main dock, allowing different crews to dock the ships in complete safety.
The work consisted of:
- The construction of the main dock, made up of a reinforced concrete structure resting on 120 tubular steel-driven piles;
- The construction of three mooring dolphins, also supported by tubular steel-driven piles (35 units);
- The supply and installation of the berthing elements (fender s and mooring bollards);
- The design, supply and installation of steel sleeves on the pilings (to protect them from ice damage);
- The set-up of a water supply system and electrical service for future installations; and
- The paving of the access road to the new wharf.
The main dock is composed of precast concrete girders resting on tubular steel-driven piles with nodes that were cast in place. Precast slabs were placed on top of the girders after all the nodes were secured. At the end, another slab was cast in place on top of the previous slab to complete the dock.
This project also included restoration of the existing Mgr. Blanche's wharf. A small portion of the existing dock had to be removed, a new parapet had to be constructed and a new riprap was put in place to secure the sides of the dock.
Pomerleau used two large crawler cranes (225T and 300T) on barges to allow piling and erection at sea. This project included 46,000 square metres of dragging to allow ships to berth at the new cruise ship wharf.
PROJECT FEATURES
Pomerleau employed both boldness and resourcefulness in its preference to undertake the construction of the concrete structure of the main dock with the aid of precast concrete. This method of construction led to a cost reduction of more than 10%.
CHALLENGES
- Logistics and management of storage space and preparatory work: reception of materials; welding of piles; precasting of concrete; materials handling for the various elements;
- Accomplishment of precision work from barges: the piles had to be placed within a 100mm tolerance and the precast elements had to be installed within a centimetre's accuracy;
- Dealing with elements of nature (wind, waves, tides); and
- Planning work based on the tide: certain tasks could only be carried out at low tide while others could only be carried out at high tide.
In addition, Pomerleau had to manage this project without interfering with the many marine mammals that visit the region in the spring and fall of each year. The presence of whales put important restrictions on placing piles.