Building a pair of automated container berths for 100,000-ton-class container vessels is already a significant project, but the two new berths at Qinzhou Port are also the first in China to be built with a modern, U-shaped layout designed to better maximize intermodal logistical efficiency.

Berths 9 and 8 at the port’s Dalanping South Working Zone are a key part of the New International Land-Sea Corridor, a collection of logistics infrastructure and intermodal projects designed to link the inland city and railroad hub of Chongqing to far-flung ports of the global market.

Extensive use of BIM, construction management software and constant communication among the project team allowed for blasting, dredging, diving and construction activities to progress in the port in parallel, without interference.

Photo courtesy CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co.

Project plans called for 33 massive, 3,600-ton concrete caissons to form the new berths, which drove the team to develop an innovative, custom lifting system to move massive rebar cages needed for putting caissons in place. The team also refined placement and leveling techniques for foundation work, using vibration-based compaction to save time and reduce the amount and duration of underwater construction.

New berths operate largely autonomously, while even rebar cages for caissons were prefabricated on site with automation.
Photo courtesy CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co.

Rebar cages for the caissons were assembled at an onsite prefabrication facility, where the team, working directly from BIM files, was able to automate many rebar bending activities.

With more than 16,000 prestressed high-performance concrete piles installed on the project, the 783-m-long quays have seen only 4 mm of settlement, with a maximum displacement of only 2 mm.

While the fully automated berths are designed to accommodate 100,000-ton-class vessels, the installed hydraulic structures are also prepared to handle the berthing requirements of a 200,000-ton-class container ship. With their U-shaped layouts, the berths are capable of achieving an annual freight throughput of 2.1 million TEUs.