Witteveen+Bos – Kazakhstan – Caspian Sea Harbour Construction

TENIZSERVICE LLP

NEW LOADING AND UNLOADING DOCK, CATRO, PRORVA IN THE CASPIAN SEA, KAZAKHSTAN

CASE

TenizService LLP conducted the Project Cargo Transportation Route, including constructing a Quay and Cargo Offloading Facilities at Prorva in Kazakhstan.

TASK

The main contractor was a Joint venture of Chevron and the Kazakh State oil company. The Harbour designer, the Dutch company Witteveen+Bos, subcontracted Geodrive Technology initially for driveability studies and later, due to the Geoproviders´s founder knowledge, awarded the one-year site supervision, including the Pile Static and Dynamic load tests.

The first work stage was the driveability prediction analysis for the concrete piles and sheet piles, assessing:

• Hammer size required, driving time and stresses during driving, especially in tension for the concrete piles with a steel joint.

• The risk of refusal before the target penetration level.

• Outlining the equipment needed for sheet pile installation, including the hammer and eventual pre-drilling procedure.

The second stage was the site supervising, whose main challenges were:

• Hard and heterogeneous soil conditions would create difficulties for the pile and sheet-piling installation.

• The design post-optimisation due to the decision to increase the dredging depth, reducing the previous safety factor, demanding a guarantee of accurate execution.

• Seeking alternative solutions and construction methodologies to ensure the design accomplishment and acceptable timetable.

1st phase on-site – Supervising the sheet pile installation, including pre-drilling activities.

2nd phase on-site – Supervising and analysing the pile Dynamic and statical Load testing for the concrete piling foundation of Deck C and B, followed by the correlation between dynamic (DLT) and static pile (SLT) resistance calculation reporting.

3rd phase on-site – monitoring and later in the office with the design team analysing the pile driving heave effect on the pile bearing capacity, deformation, and overall deck stability.

RESULTS

The combination of a sound knowledge of Geotechnical design and the construction experience of executing was the critical input that led to the work’s success despite all difficulties.