Melones Island, Panama

Melones Oil Terminal Coastal Protection Peer Review

Scope/Solutions

Built in the early 2010s, Melones Island suffered from erosion that was most severe on the south side and needed stabilization to protect the bunker fuel terminal. SGH was selected by Melones Oil Terminal, Inc. to peer review the design of the shoreline protection proposed for the island located eight nautical miles from the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal.

SGH investigated the cause of erosion and independently reviewed the design and constructability of coastal mitigation measures proposed by others. Highlights of our work include:

  • Evaluating local site parameters, metocean conditions, wave and tide data, geotechnical boreholes, inspection reports, and available topographic and bathymetric survey data taken through the last fifteen years
  • Performing geomorphologic analyses to estimate erosion on the south side of the island
  • Peer reviewing the design for coastal protection
  • Providing recommendations to optimize the design and construction amidst an aggressive marine environment, including tide fluctuations up to 5 m

Our review of the proposed coastal protection identified opportunities for improving the design, helping the owner mitigate potential performance problems and further erosion.

Project Summary

completion-date

2022

Completion Date
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures
Markets
Infrastructure & Transportation
Client(s)
Melones Oil Terminal, Inc.
Specialized Capabilities
Marine & Civil Works

Key team members

Carlos Ospina
Carlos Ospina
Principal
Alfredo Rivera
Alfredo Rivera
Senior Consulting Engineer