Upgrading or Replacing Container Quay Walls in the Port of Rotterdam

Abstract: The oldest container terminal on the Rotterdam Maasvlakte is the North Side of the Delta peninsula. This 2700 m long quay wall dates from 1984 and 1991 and was designed for the incredible large size of 6,600 TEU vessels. Given the current operation of 24,000 TEU vessels this means that the facility is commercially totally out dated. Therefor the Port of Rotterdam Authority has studied how such an existing facility can be upgraded to a terminal capable of receiving 40,000 TEU vessels. These non-existing future vessels, labeled future 2 will have a length of 450 m and a beam of 75 m and a design draft of 18.7 m.

Key aspects of the upgrade are increasing the draft with five meters from CD-15 to CD -20 m. Floodproofing of the area by increasing the deck height with 2 meters, accommodating a much heavier modern crane to handle very big ships and obviously state of the art ship shore facilities i.e. fenders, bollards and shore power.

The upgrade needs a phased approach as the terminal stays operational during the works. All possible technical options have been studied in competition and will be presented shortly in the paper. PoR then made preliminary designs for the two most likely scenarios, a caisson based solution and a combi wall solution. The trade off between the two scenarios is discussed.

The caisson design was selected as the prevailing solution and the detailed design study is shortly discussed. There are some interesting challenges in using caissons in front of existing facilities. The caissons will not be build.

On the south side a similar quay wall still offered the possibility to be upgraded from 7000 TEU to 24,000 TEU with the existing structure. The advanced FEM calculations and usage of various scientific field provided enough certainty to allow a deepening of almost 2.0 m, the usage of heavier cranes (outreach 25 rows) and doubling of the bollard capacity from 1500 to 3000 kN per single bollard.

How does this project / topic contribute to the advancement of the industry and profession?: The study provided an insight that is normally not shared. All ports with old container terminals are faced with the question can we upgrade the facility or do we have to replace the facility. But especially the studies that end up in a drawer often contain the most interesting lessons for other ports.

Both sides of the peninsula result in very different outcomes. With a significant cost difference.

Does the project / topic implement new and innovative techniques, materials, technologies, and delivery methods?: Yes, especially the deepening study is based on state of the art research and FEM re-design.

What was the most challenging aspect of your project / topic and how did you handle it to ensure success?: Most challenging for both projects is developing a plan with minimal operational hindrance as each month of downtime is a 6 digit revenue loss for Terminal and Port Authority.
Second biggest challenge is dealing g with unexpected new insights coming out of the FEM analysis.

Who is the target audience for this paper?: Port engineers, nautical experts, terminal operators and port authority management.