On January 2, 2002, in Vancouver Canada, two shiploaders at Westshore Terminals berth No.2 were critically damaged during a windstorm. The wind had been rising that evening and the operators were preparing to shut down the loading operation when a large gust caught the loaders and pushed them out of control along the rail. Shiploader No.3 broke through the end-stop and suffered a collapse of the boom and the carriage, onto the dock and against the hull of the ship. The bridge structure was damaged but remained standing. Shiploader No.4 also broke through the end stop, was pushed off the end of the rail and collapsed into the water. The two operators on the shiploaders at the time were injured but were very lucky to survive the incident. With Berth 2 out of commission, the ability to ship coal through Westshore Terminals was severely reduced. The potential business interruption was not only felt by Westshore Terminals but also by the upstream coal mines and the downstream users. Schedule became the main driving force for the project and a fast track execution strategy was implemented. The target was to have the berth operational again in six months.

Westmar Consultants was retained as the Prime Consultant responsible for the overall management of the project and the detailed design of the shiploaders. Canron

Construction West were selected as the General Contractor responsible for fabrication, assembly and erection.

Because of the compressed schedule, the structural design, steel detailing and fabrication were carried out almost concurrently. The team worked together closely and exchanged information daily in order to optimise the fabrication process.

The fabricated components were delivered to a shipyard that was used as a preassembly site, where the shiploaders were pre-assembled in large modular units weighing up to 120 tons each. The modules consisted of the fabricated steel frame assemblies complete with walkways, mechanical equipment, piping, and electrical equipment. Once completed, the modules were loaded on a barge and moved to site where they were erected using a floating derrick.

To facilitate the extremely tight schedule and provide suitable corrosion protection in this harsh environment, the Engineer chose a tried and tested two-coat system specification from International Protective Coatings. The system consisted of Interzinc® 52 as the primer and Interzone® 954 as the topcoat. The products were supplied by CamCoat Industries, International Paints’ local distributor.

This system has an impressive track record in some of the most onerous offshore and onshore conditions, with Interzone 954 providing a tough abrasion resistant epoxy finish which is suitable for exposure to tidal sea water only 15 minutes after application

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