Portland (Maine International Marine Terminal Western Yard Expansion

Abstract: The Portland International Marine Terminal (IMT) terminal is vital to the continued growth of Maine’s economy and the Western Yard Expansion project will increase the capacity to serve Maine’s import/export needs into the future. The Western Yard Expansion will bring more accessible import/export capabilities to Maine’s smaller producers as well as generate income for the state. Further, the expansion will allow the terminal operator, Eimskip, to expand their throughput and to centralize their refrigerated container operations in Portland. The expansion consists of conversion of the underutilized western yard, currently used to store empty containers and container chassis, into a storage yard for 420 refrigerated containers. The new yard will operate in tandem with a new cold storage warehouse currently under construction adjacent to the site.
The design elements associated with the expansion included port planning and internal traffic flow design of the terminal; structural and geotechnical design of the steel refrigerator container racks and the pile-supported concrete foundations; site design and stormwater management; and the electrical design of the primary service, feeder lines, and equipment with an integrated automation system.
There were several physical constraints that had to be considered which proved to be very challenging to the design process. A City-owned combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) pipe and two underground high voltage transmission lines run through the site, which required extensive coordination and ultimately led to relocating and upsizing the CSO and including a bridge over the transmission lines. New container stack loads acting on poor marine clays found at the site were expected to result in excessive settlements Therefore, the refrigerated container rack required a deep foundation (steel pipe piles) and pile caps had to be extended to accommodate each end of the containers. Additionally, the large container live loads required that the concrete foundation beams be designed as deep beams, a design condition usually seen in bridge design. Finally, the light industrial site is across the street from a residential zone which has noise restrictions during the nighttime hours. An acoustic study performed to evaluate noise from the operating reefer units found that only 15% of the reefer compressors could be running at any given time. Therefore, to control the noise, the electrical switchgear design included an automation system to limit the number of active outlets and in turn the number of running compressors.
This paper focuses on the design challenges and innovative solutions incorporated to allow the development of the western yard expansion to occur, together with the history of the site that has shaped its development over the past two decades and how the Portland IMT fits into the State’s Three Port Strategy.

How does this project / topic contribute to the advancement of the industry and profession?: This project contributes to the industry by showcasing possibilities and challenges at a regional container terminal. At this site specifically which has a limited area to work with and tight site constraints, this project aims to show how to work with all stakeholders to deliver a reefer yard that meets the operational needs of the terminal owner and the tenant. This project also shows that multi-disciplinary teams are needed for all sizes of terminals and how those various design disciplines integrate into a cohesive system.

Does the project / topic implement new and innovative techniques, materials, technologies, and delivery methods?: By introducing an automation system to control the number of containers that can run at night, thus limiting the operational noise to acceptable levels, this project introduces electrical system automation. While not necessarily groundbreaking for large-scale container terminals around the world, it’s certainly a novel idea for a terminal of this size. With the basis of the automation system constructed, the focus can turn to optimizing the operation of individual containers to limit power consumption throughout the day, and to ensure each container remains at an acceptable temperature.

What was the most challenging aspect of your project / topic and how did you handle it to ensure success?: The most challenging aspect of this project was working with the local utilities to handle layout conflicts. Several weeks of coordination were needed to create a workable solution for relocating and upsizing the CSO with the City and the Portland Water District. Coordination with Central Maine Power to build one of the foundations over two of their high voltage lines has required constant contact between the project team, the client, and several different groups within the utility. This coordination will continue through construction to maintain and protect the utility’s assets.

Who is the target audience for this paper?: Broadly speaking, the target audience for this paper is anyone who design systems for container terminals. Being a multi-disciplinary project, there are topics to discuss across engineering and scientific disciplines including structural, geotechnical, stormwater and site/civil, electrical and automation, acoustic, and environmental permitting.