Magellan Terminal Holdings operates a major petroleum storage terminal in Wilmington, Delaware, which serves the mid-Atlantic region. Located on the Christina River at its confluence with the Delaware River, the terminal has 32 storage tanks with a combined capacity of 2.8 million barrels of a variety of refined liquid petroleum product, which is loaded and unloaded from tankers and barges at two ship berths. Three existing timber berthing dolphins serving Berth No. 2 were in very poor condition and required replacement.
The challenge was to replace the dolphins in a very limited work window, while the berth remained operational to barge traffic.
Kleinfelder’s solution was to construct the three new dolphins without fenders 4’-7” behind the existing berthing line, which allowed barges to dock using the existing dolphins without coming into contact with the new dolphins. Once the dolphin structures were in place, the 4’-7” deep fenders were installed, and the existing dolphins were removed during a short time period when no barges were scheduled to dock. The new dolphins were constructed with vertical and battered steel H-piles with energy-absorbing rubber-leg fenders mounted on the steel structure. The dolphins were designed to accommodate barges up to 310 feet and 30,000 deadweight tonnage with a six-foot tidal range. In addition to breasting loads, the dolphins were designed to accommodate mooring spring loads for wind speeds up to 60 knots. Kleinfelder also provided consulting services in conjunction with the selection of new plasma mooring lines for both Berth Nos. 1 and 2.
Kleinfelder’s solution enabled barge deliveries to continue at Berth No. 2 while construction of the replacement dolphins progressed, so that the petroleum storage terminal remained in full operation at all times.
Location:
Wilmington, Delaware
Owner:
Magellan Terminal Holding
