The principal value of a well-sited port is to minimize port downtime, when weather conditions prevent the loading or unloading of vessels. Sandwell specialists are skilled in bathymetric surveys, and analysis of wave conditions and coastal features, which determine the site’s degree of exposure.
For Teck Corporation’s copper concentrate export terminal in Petaquilla, Panama we evaluated the conditions for each of several potential sites before selecting the most suitable. We performed similar services for the preliminary evaluation of a new terminal at Voisey’s Bay in Labrador, where the northern location requires an additional discipline: a knowledge of ice forces and ice management. The ice conditions, both at the dock and for vessel transit, were an important consideration.
Moving ships through ice and berthing at an arctic terminal offers interesting challenges, requiring a knowledge of how ice forms, how it builds up around structures, and how to manage ice when mooring ships against a structure. This particular specialty was used in a number of studies, including a review on behalf of Texaco of oil export terminals in the northern Timan Pechora region of the Russian Federation. The study included assessing the ability to moor and load ships at various types of terminals, together with the associated ice management requirements.
