Barranquilla, Colombia
SPRG Bulk-handling Wharf and Shoreline Protection
Scope/Solutions
Sociedad Portuaria Río Grande (SPRG) sought to build a greenfield bulk-handling wharf on the west bank of the Magdalena River as part of a planned expansion and concession agreement. SGH was contracted by Soletanche Bachy Colombia (SBC) to provide engineering services along with bid and construction support services for the project. Once constructed, the wharf will allow berthing of Handymax vessels up to 55,000 DWT for the export of coal and coke, and operation of diverse equipment, such as a mobile harbor crane, hoppers, and trucks.
SGH collaborated with SBC to provide bid support and value-engineering services, leading to the selection of SBC’s design-build team to design and construct the wharf and shoreline protection. The final design includes the following:
- A 24 m long by 19 m wide, pile-supported marginal wharf connected to land via two pile-supported access trestles and divided in two segments to address boundaries imposed by concession constraints
- Shoreline protection spanned for a length of approximately 300 m, including the full length of the wharf
Highlights of our consulting work include:
- Supporting the contractor from the bid phase through design and construction
- Introducing value engineering ideas, resulting in significant time and cost savings
- Evaluating multiple configurations for the wharf’s framing and various piling systems, including prestressed concrete piles with and without steel stingers
- Refining criteria for the design of the wharf and shoreline protection
- Designing shoreline protection, including characterizing rock material from local quarries and evaluating global stability of the riverbank at multiple locations
Project Summary
Key team members
