Engineering Innovations in Dock Rehabilitation: Addressing Seismic Challenges and Aging Infrastructure

Pile-supported docks in marine environments endure extreme conditions, such as hurricanes, seismic demands, corrosive saltwater, and high humidity, which, coupled with vessel impacts and aging infrastructure, often necessitate repair and rehabilitation. This paper discusses two dock replacement/rehabilitation projects in high seismic regions, highlighting the challenges and solutions employed. The first project involved replacing the loading platform of an oil dock damaged by an oil tanker collision. Instead of a traditional large pile footprint with batter piles, an innovative compact plumb pile layout with a steel jacketed frame was used, meeting seismic requirements while offering cost and schedule savings. The second project focused on the partial replacement of an aging pile-supported dock to support a tower-type ship loader. Challenges included managing eccentric loading conditions, limitations on pile diameter and number, and analyzing the tower-platform interaction during seismic events. A detailed nonlinear analysis led to the development of performance specifications for the tower loader’s design. This paper provides engineers with insights into alternative design approaches that optimize material usage, timelines, and costs while enhancing safety and resilience.